Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
You’ve noticed, I’m sure, most people love to cheer for winners. We love the award ceremonies, the trophies, the medals, the ribbons, the certificates declaring great achievement. Of course, we know there is a move now, among some people, to remove any sense of competition or recognition of achievement and simply recognize ‘participation’. We also know that too often great achievement has been accomplished through deception or unfair advantage.
But today I’d like to call us to consider how very special a person becomes when Jesus Christ rescues us from our inescapable sin slavery and God the Father adopts us into His family and the Holy Spirit creates a new spiritual nature in us, cleanses us, and actually takes up residence within a God redeemed, ‘new creation in Christ’!
We might even apply the old adage “from rags to riches” for any and all of us who have experienced this wonderful transformation, do you agree?
We’re with Paul as he is dictating his first powerful letter to the Christians in Corinth, who are struggling with a low morale and low sense of self-esteem, for many reasons. Timothy has rolled out the parchments and is writing as Paul speaks: “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. [by God] 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…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 Cor. 1:26-31)
I love how Paul continually calls his readers to remember that no matter their background, their pedigree, their reputation, as Christians they are united into one family, the family of God, by God Himself, thus are spiritual brothers and sisters with each other, and with all Christians through all time! If you’ve been part of a loving local ‘ekklesia’ of God’s people where you are accepted, encouraged, even celebrated, then you understand what I’m talking about.
Paul loved this idea of Greeks, Romans, Jews, Gentiles, slaves and free all ‘called’, invited by God, to be part of the huge family of God! It’s one thing to earn your way into a group or pay a membership fee, but to be INVITED is a whole different matter, isn’t it? Paul never wants us to forget that God initiated this remarkable relationship, God invites us into His family and God pays the membership fee, with the atonement death of His Son Jesus!
Paul, of all people, felt for a very long time that he was earning his way to God. By his studies, his constant attention to keeping even the slightest notation of the law, his passion for personal perfection. But now as Paul looks around Ephesus and writes to his friends in Corinth, Paul is overwhelmed and he celebrates that Jesus did not select as His disciples, and God does not invite into His family, only the very intelligent, nor the overachievers, nor the super stars, but God delights in calling normal people, and transforming them into what Paul often calls “saints” and even “ambassadors of Christ”! Paul quotes a very famous Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah who said: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their wealth, but let the one who boasts boast in this: that they have the understanding to know ME, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jer. 9:23,24)
Do you hear it my friends? That which gives us the greatest opportunity to boast, is what God has accomplished in us; who we are becoming in our relationship with Jesus Christ; and how God is strategically involving us in what He is doing around the world for HIS glory!
I appreciate so much when Paul speaks with humility about himself. Paul writes: “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you in Corinth, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the truths about God. For I resolved that while I was with you, you would know nothing more than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on God’s power.” (1 Cor. 2:1-5)
Oh, my friends, it’s time for some honest reflection about how we view ourselves; how we view what God offers to do in our lives; how we view human wisdom or achievement, as compared to the life transforming work of the Holy Spirit in us, who are pursuing becoming all God has designed us to be! Here are two or three questions to help us reflect…
1. Do you sometimes think that you DESERVE God’s love or His grace or His mercy or His adoption of you into His family? IF so, why? We deserve nothing but eternal separation from God due to our rebellious, selfish nature.
2. As you reflect on who you are becoming, as God is doing His great life transforming work in you, how do you describe what God is accomplishing in YOU? Who are you today as compared to who you were before you met Jesus? How are you thanking God for this remarkable, life transforming, miracle of God?
3. As you think about the remainder of your earthly life, are you excited as you consider what God has in store for you as Jesus walks with you each day?
Here’s a worship song to help us thank Him for these wonderful truths…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Cor. 1:26 – 2:5.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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