1 Corinthians 1:26-31
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.””1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV
Spiritual wisdom is entirely a gift from God, and God will give this gift to us freely if we humble ourselves before Him. Think about the time when you first started following Christ. The first spiritual insight God gave you was the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. God gave this insight to you when you were entirely lost in darkness and sin. You brought nothing to the table but began your spiritual journey from a position of complete spiritual poverty. This is what Jesus meant when He began His great Sermon on the Mount with the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” All of us began our spiritual journey when we came to God as beggars. Everyone began at the same starting point. God arranges things this way because God hates pride. You are prideful when you take credit or praise for yourself that belongs to God. You are humble when you give all praise to God. The spiritual principle expressed here is simple: pride gets in the way; humility opens the way. And you don’t have to wait for something good to happen to give praise to God. The Cross is such an offensive symbol when viewed in its most basic and raw form. For God to become human flesh and live among us is unbelievable enough. For God to be subject to the vagaries and rigors of mortality and human needs is unthinkable. For God to endure the indignities and inhumanities of the Cross is preposterous. But, that is the Gospel. What appears to be foolish, weak, and offensive has the power to re-make us and inspire us to unparalleled faith. When we come to the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, we come to the impossible which was accomplished by God's grace for us and in us. Only God would bring us salvation in such a way. God has turned the values of man on their head so that the boastings of the carnal heart will be utterly demolished by the wisdom and power of God, so that no one may ever boast in themselves. Our boasting must only come from the Lord Jesus and Him crucified, for He is the personification of God's wisdom and strength. The plan of salvation for fallen man was determined in the council chambers of God before the world began, so that the wisdom, strength, pride and boastings of fallen mankind will be brought to nothing for wisdom comes from God alone, and His sufficient strength is only to be found in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ the incarnate Son of God!!!
Father thank You for this day and for Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Lord let Your abundant blessings flow from the storehouses of heaven over my friend and family today. Lord may we never seek to rely on our own human wisdom, physical strength and clever manipulation but on You and You crucified, knowing that in You is found all wisdom, might, majesty dominion, power, strength, love and life. Lord we come before you as a beggar, bringing nothing to the table. Lord we acknowledge that everything good that we have has come from Your hand, for You are our daily provider. Lord thank You for opening our minds to Your wisdom so that we can see both ourselves and this world from Your perspective. Lord use my friend to boldly proclaim Your life changing gospel to all today. Daddy we love you amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !!
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