Jennifer A

Today our passage comes from one of the Books of Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, where Solomon uses a poor man to save a small town through his wisdom. Afterward his wisdom is overlooked by worldly strength, power, wealth, and authority. Theologians seldomly agree on this Text, but I cannot help but to see Jesus through the poor wise man.

Paul reminds us that “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3). Yes, Jesus, is Wisdom, and “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich” (2 Cor 8:9). In other words, Jesus possessed all the riches of heavenly glory, yet He chose to become poor by taking on human form and dying on the cross for the sake of humanity (for you and for me so that our sins could be forgiven). Through this selfless sacrifice, believers are made spiritually rich, gaining eternal life, and fellowship with Almighty God. There is absolutely no earthly strength, power, wealth, or authority that can ever come close to touching the heavenly riches that you and I have inherited through our oneness in salvation with Christ Jesus for all eternity. Our relationship with Jesus is our most priceless possession that makes us wealthy beyond measure.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 (NLT)

Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly

13 Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. 14 There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. 15 A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. 16 So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.

17 Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person
than the shouts of a foolish king.
18 Better to have wisdom than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for delivering us from the sins of this world. Holy Spirit, help us to grow in humility to see the riches that You have for us. We do not want to be blinded by the strength, power, wealth, and authority of this world. We want Your wisdom to guide us, Your strength to fill us, and Your authority to rule our lives, as that is where we fine our true wealth. Thank You for our inheritance of eternal life in You, Jesus. We love You, and ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, I have said this before, if Jesus could wash Judas’ feet knowing that he would betray Him to death, and then tell His disciples that “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15), then you and I should be able to simply love one another.

As you read today’s passage notice how immediately John contrasts believers who belong to Christ Who is love to Cain who belonged to Satan who is death. John clearly tells us that we must choose a side, and he reveals how much the sides contrast: Christ vs. Satan, light vs. darkness, love vs. hate, life vs. death (murder), righteousness vs. evil, etc. When we do not love, our hearts fill with hate and stifle the Holy Spirit, which is no different than choosing to eliminate or “murder” the Holy Spirit’s life that takes place within us. Don’t allow the devil to convince you that you would never “hate” someone and that you are not “dead living”, because when we are not loving all of our brothers and sister in Christ equally and in the likeness of Christ Himself, we are in fact being hatful within our hearts and living a life that is not in alignment with the Spirit, which equates to dead living. We all need to grow to love our brothers and sister as Christ loves each one of them. A great place to start is for us to be honest with the Holy Spirit and ask for forgiveness and guidance.

If you find yourself offended by some of the words or phasing that James uses in today’s passage, i.e. hate, dead living, or murder, tell Satan to get packing. As believers, we live for Christ, and Christ alone, and John uses these words to help us grow up in the Spirit, to be able to see clearly that there are two sides and we choose the side we align with, and it should always be the side with Christ Jesus.

1 John 3:11-17 (NLT)

Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

Prayer: Father, we ask for Your forgiveness because we do not always love one another the way that You love each of us. Thank You, for grafting us into Your Family. Holy Spirit, we need Your wisdom, guidance, and quick conviction so that we can have a heart that is more and more like Jesus. Jesus, Your love is the example for our lives, so please help us to be more like You. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, the contrasting example between rich and poor that James speaks of in today’s passage should clearly point us to the richness of faith that Jesus wants for all of His creation. If we accept that all of our brothers and sisters of faith are equally covered by grace, and are all filled with the same Holy Spirit, then we have no room for judgement or evil motives towards anyone. Instead, we will live by the work of the Spirit and allow the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23) to bear witness within our life through our thoughts, words, actions, and inactions. The only One Who stands above anyone else is Jesus, the rest of us are equal.

Brothers and sisters, our salvation in Christ is not something any of us deserve, and we have done absolutely nothing to earn it. Every believer is equally saved by God’s precious grace, “For God does not show favoritism” (Rom 2:11). This means every believer has never and will never be able to earn God’s grace by their own merit, good works, status, knowledge, or privilege. So, when we begin to understand God’s grace is equal for everyone within His Kingdom, we start to understand that Kingdom equality is the complete opposite of the world’s equality. The world has a surface appearance of wanting equality, but under the surface there is oppression, division, competition, judgement, favoritism, and slander. The world can never treat humanity with equality because it is sinful, but thankfully “God decided in advance to adopt us into His own Family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So, we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son.” (Eph 1:5-7)

James 2:1-7 NLT

A Warning against Prejudice

1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for forgiving us of our sins. Holy Spirit, we need Your guidance so we can treat others like You would treat them. We do not want to judge others, so help us to see people how You see them, and to love them how You love the. Please increase our faith, Lord. We thank You for the work of Your grace within our lives. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

David helps us to understand that God is all loving, merciful, and faithful, and when we humble ourselves to accept His teachings, we can see more and more of His love, mercy, and faithfulness. We must remember that God’s Word always includes correction, instruction, and guidance, and that is for our highest and spiritual best. Even when it doesn’t feel good, God is focused on the best for our spiritual path.

In today’s passage we see David asks God to show him the right path, and he expresses that he wants to be led by God’s Truth (His Word). Many times, within Scripture, we see where David wants to learn from the God Who saved him. Friends, when we read the Bible, we initially discover and learn new things from the God Who saved us; then, over time, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, what we learn starts to become what we believe, and eventually what we believe should begin to shape our lives. An obedient path might not always seem to be the most “fun”, and God’s correction can be extremely hard or even painful at times; but God always wants His highest and best for each one of our lives, and it all comes from a place of His purest love, His divine mercy, and His eternal faithfulness for us as a unique part of His creation.

Psalm 25:1-10 (NLT)

A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, I give my life to you.
2 I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.

3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.

8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

Prayer: Jesus, we submit our souls to You. Holy Spirit, we need Your minute-by-minute guidance for our minds, our will, and our emotions, as our souls can grow weary, and so we need Your help. Please continue to teach, lead, and guide us along the path that You have for us. We want to grow closer to You and walk in alignment with Your Word. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, James reminds us that faith is not enough, that our actions must align with our words and definitely with our hearts to reveal an outpouring of our spiritual salvation in Christ Jesus. Pastor Mary once said that “good deeds are actions of obedience that come from having Christ as the Lord of our lives”.

Throughout Scripture, God reveals His heart for the needy, and He warns of His judgement that will come on the hearts that were hardened towards the needy. God stands firmly against religious actions that are for show and self-righteousness, as Jesus is found within the selfless good deeds of the faithful when we are loving Him and loving our neighbor (Matt 22:36-40). Jesus helps us to understand that everyone is our neighbor, as He outlined within the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Loving God and our neighbor is taking care of others, serving, giving, helping, etc. which are all good deeds that Jesus exemplified and asks us to do the same in His Name. The demons that James speaks of, may know there is a God, but they cannot exemplify their love for God or others.

Many believers ask the question are we really justified by works (good deeds) as James says, because Paul says that we are justified by faith (Romans 3 – 4). Both are right if we keep in mind that their justification was different, their initial audience was different, their areas of ministry were different, but both reveal that inactive, self-serving, and ritualistic faith are not in alignment with faith at all. James refers to good deeds as revealed through the obedient faith of both Abraham and Rahab. He chose believers who are completely opposite for the Jewish read at the time, as well as for you and me now, to show that true faith is not only obedient; true faith is always active and doing or saying something that brings the love of Christ to touch the hearts of others (our neighbors). May our good deeds reveal Christ and His love to someone today.

James 2:14-26 (NLT)

Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for exemplifying active faith, and for providing us with brothers and sisters of great faith throughout Your Word to reveal how we are to actively provide good works to extend Your love to our neighbors. Holy Spirit, speak clearly to us so we can hear where You need us to work for You today. We love You and ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Prior to today’s passage from Luke 10:13-16, we know that Jesus moved from His Galilean ministry to begin His journey toward Jerusalem. He sent out seventy-two chosen disciples, in pairs, to the towns and places He planned to visit. Jesus’s instructions were, “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’” (v.5) We see within verses 10 through 12, that Jesus also warned the disciples that some people will reject their offer of peace, and that brings us to today’s passage. Here, Jesus helps us to understand that He directs us to faithfully proclaim His Gospel message, and just as people reject us, they are also rejecting Him, the Prince of Peace. We must not get discouraged, as only Jesus is the divine Judge, and we are called to keep moving forward and sharing His loving message of forgiveness and eternal life.

In verse 13, we see Korazin (also spelled Chorazin) is denounced, this was also written in Matthew 11:20-22. Aside from these passages, there is no other mention of Korazin within the Bible. We know that not everything Jesus did is recorded, however, based upon verse 13, we know that Jesus visited and performed miracles within this city, as He did at Bethsaida, where Jesus fed the 5,000 (9:10-17). Tyre and Sidon were prosperous cities that had little regard for Israel. Many of the prophets within the Old Testament spoke of these cities, and Jesus states that had He performed miracles within Tyre and Sidon, repentance would have occurred. When Jesus references being clothed in burlap (or other translations say sackcloth) and throwing ashes on their heads, He is referring to the customary Jewish sign of outward repentance which was to sit in sackcloth and ashes to symbolize grief. We know that outward signs of repentance are no longer necessary, that God is concerned with our heart, and as followers (disciples) of His Son, Jesus, repentance should be a part of our daily lives.

Luke 10:13-16 (NLT)

13 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 14 Yes, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. 15 And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.”

16 Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your forgiveness and for Your Word that is inscribed on our hearts. As Your disciples, we want to share Your message. Holy Spirit impart Your wisdom for when we talk about Your Word with others and shield our emotions when people do not want to receive You. Allow us to keep moving forward and sharing Your message. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Every time I write in reference to Psalm 119, I like to remind us, that it contains 176 verses which are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Today’s stanza is titled with the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Yodh or Yud, which is often associated with God’s hand, humility, and wisdom.

Friends, something we all have in common is that we have all faced troubles, sometimes the trouble is tragic, while other times the trouble is just a really rough day. Another thing we also have in common is that during our times of trouble we all reach for something. Think about that for a moment. Be honest with yourself. What or who is it that you reach for or maybe even hide from during your times of trouble? Remember the title of today’s passage and how as believers, you and I are called and encouraged to humbly reach for God’s hand during every troubling moment so that He can guide us with His wisdom through it. We cannot forget that the One Who created each one of us, also wrote His Word on our hearts. So why is it that we can find ourselves hiding from God or seeking destructive people, circumstances, places, or habits when all we need to do is seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him for divine guidance. I read a post from a friend on social media yesterday that said, “Every sin is an attempt to be happy, without God.” In today’s passage, the psalmist reminds you and I who we are in Christ Jesus. God knows our struggles, He faces them with us, He is faithful, and He is our Comforter, so instead of turning to sinful places, people, ways, or habits during troubled times, we need to be turning to God and reaching out to grab a hold of His hand and don’t let go.

Psalm 119:73-80 (NLT)

Yodh

73 You made me; you created me.
Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,
for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
you disciplined me because I needed it.
76 Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
just as you promised me, your servant.
77 Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
for your instructions are my delight.
78 Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me;
meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.
79 Let me be united with all who fear you,
with those who know your laws.
80 May I be blameless in keeping your decrees;
then I will never be ashamed.

Prayer: Father, thank You for always having Your hand available for us to grab a hold of. We need You, at all times, but especially during times of trouble. Holy Spirit, please guide us towards You and away from the places that seem temporarily comforting, because they are familiar sinful places. We want to allow Your unfailing love to comfort us so that we may experience Your joy at all times. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Last Wednesday through Friday we spent our devotional time within 2 Kings, and if you joined us for worship yesterday, Pastor Mary continued in 2 Kings 5 (1-14), and we will pick up today where she left off.

As a reminder Naaman was a high-ranking official within the Syrian Army, and he also had leprosy. He went to Israel to see the Prophet Elisha for healing. When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s home with his entourage and earthly riches, Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman to go and drip himself seven times within the Jordan River and as a result his leprosy would be healed. Naaman was angry that Elisha did not come to meet him, and so he stormed off. One of his officers eventually convinced Naaman to obey Elisha’s message, and “So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!” (v.14)

Today’s devotion picks up with Naaman looking for “the man of God”, Elisha. Far too often, you and I can be just like Naaman and resist God’s guidance and healing for our lives and as a result we make things unnecessarily complicated. God’s plan was simple for Naaman, and it is simple for you and me. Yet even after God heals him, and Naaman wants to worship the God of Israel, he still wants to gift Elisha. Living faithfully within this world can be hard at time, and that is what we see happening for Naaman, and it happens to you and me all of the time. Within these moments we need to reach up and grab ahold of God’s grace. This is what Naaman ended up doing. He confessed his need for forgiveness and called on God’s mercy and favor, and Elisha granted him God’s peace.

God’s grace, mercy, favor, and peace are all available for you and me right now. We simply need to call on Jesus, by faith, for delivery and obediently walk out the plan God has for us.

2 Kings 5:15-19 (NLT)

15 Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

16 But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused.

17 Then Naaman said, “All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord. 18 However, may the Lord pardon me in this one thing: When my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too.”

19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the example of Your healing and guidance as seen through Elisha and Naaman. We want more of Your spiritual healing and guidance within our lives, Lord. We call on Your grace, mercy, favor, and peace today, as we want to grow in our faith and be more obedient to You, Lord Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Today we are looking at part of a letter that is attributed to the Apostle John. It’s one of three letters: 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, and together they are often referred to as the Johannie Epistles. It is believed that just over 1900 years ago, the Apostle John was writing today’s letter to a group of Christ followers in Asia Minor. Friends, you and I must keep in mind that as believers, God’s Word is always speaking directly and currently to us. So, we need to ask what is God’s Word saying to us through John’s letter? In 1 John 2:7-11, John is reminding us that we are not just followers of Christ Jesus, rather, you and I, as believers, are called to live in the likeness of Jesus; and Jesus commands us, as believers, to love others like He loves each one of us (as a part of His creation).

I have a soft spot for the Gospel of Matthew. This happened years ago when the Spirit moved within me during a study on the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. A couple of years later, when The Chosen came out, the writers portrayed Matthew in a way that just reinforced my love for his Gospel and how he learned from Jesus and how he encourages us to learn from Jesus. In Matthew 25, he reminds us of Jesus’s return in “The Final Judgment”. At this time, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats, by placing the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left hand. Those on His right will enter His Kingdom as they will have loved God’s Family like Jesus loved them; while He will curse the ones on His left for when they did not love the least of God’s children, they were not loving Jesus. Friends, this message directly connect to today’s passage from John and his message for the Church and about God’s Family. You and I will be separated as sheep and goats. This is not about all believers being sheep and all unbelievers being goats, no, this is about how you and I treat (love) one another as believers, and as a part of God’s Family.

In today’s letter, John reminds us, that you and I are commanded, by God, to love one another within our spiritual Family. This might seem like a simple ask, but do you and I love ALL of our spiritual brothers and sisters as Jesus loves them? Do you and I take a humble posture in our relationships with our spiritual brothers and sisters? And, if we look back at Matthew 25, do we feed the hungry, give something to drink to the thirsty, show hospitality to a stranger, cloth the naked, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned? Friends, we must remember that when we judge another believer, or any person, we are judging Jesus. John uses the word “hate”, and you might be thinking, well, I don’t hate anyone, so I will be fine during the Final Judgement. Remember, our call to love our brothers and sisters is to love them like Jesus loves them, not simply to just not hate them. We need to be asking the Holy Spirit, each and every day, to change our hearts to be more and more in alignment with the heart of Jesus, so that we are living in His Light, in His likeness, and loving as He calls us to love all of His creation.

1 John 2:7-11 (NLT)
A New Commandment

7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. 10 Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for setting the ultimate example of how we are to love one another. Holy Spirit, please convict us to know when we are not loving as You call us to love. Guide our souls (minds, wills, and emotions) and hearts to be more like Jesus. Help us with our spiritual blindness, deafness, and hard human hearts. We want to be Your sheep that follow Your voice, and the call You have on our lives, so please help us to not be the goats. May You guide us today to love like You love, help our hearts feel Your limitless love for Your Family and for those who do not know You so that they want to become a part of Your loving Family. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

If we are being honest, as Americans, we live in a country where everyone takes a side. Even if you are thinking that you are not someone who likes to take a side, you still take a side on almost everything. We do it for fun, like when we are rooting for our favorite sports team, we do it when choosing between Pepsi or Coke, we do it when we are focused on something more serious like voting, and the list goes on and on. You and I even do it when we scroll social media and decide that something someone is doing, something they are wearing, or something they are saying is not something we would do, wear, or say…and we instantly choose an opposing side to that person. So, does any of this matter? Does God have a side? And if so, what does His Word say we are to do?

In today’s passage, Paul reminds us that there are simply two sides. One side consists of a group that thinks that the cross is foolish, and the other side believes that the Word of the cross is the very power of God. Since God was, is, and has been aware of everything, as Pastor Mary preached about yesterday, His purpose of the cross was to destroy human wisdom, and to leave worldly philosophers, scholars, and debates scratching their heads. Those too proud to seek God’s salvation would (and will) not be able to discern His divine wisdom. However, those who humble their hearts would (and will) spiritually see the contrast of humanity’s flawed wisdom in comparison to God’s divine wisdom. Paul reveals how the Jews and Gentiles were hung up on things that did not matter. Which is no different from what we do today, we look for a side that sounds good. Rather than seeking the Truth, we can get caught up on external things, situations, appearances, people, etc., and in this place, the cross sounds foolish. But, for those who cling to the cross, who want to grow in relationship with Jesus, who remember what life was like without Him and never want to go back, we look at Jesus and what He did on that cross, and we long for that strength and divine wisdom operating in and through our daily lives.

Yesterday, Pastor Mary said that “fear torments the mind, but Truth torments fear”, let us hold firm to that Truth today and remember that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Having reverence, respect, and awe for almighty God, is having fear of the Lord and within that place, we remain in awe of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, and that is our first step in having true wisdom.

Today, we cannot allow pride or fear to move within our hearts; it will weaken and eventually destroy our relationship with Jesus. We must humbly remember how Jesus saved us within our past, give Him praise for what He is doing within our presence, and be joyful that by His powerful wisdom we are His Church for all eternity.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (NLT)

The Wisdom of God

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

Prayer: Jesus, we chose You through salvation and we cannot thank You enough for all that you have, are, and will continue to do for each one of us, Your brothers and sisters. May we hold firm to Your hand as we walk each day and never forget what You did for us on the cross. Holy Spirit, please continue to impart Your holy and divine wisdom into each one of us and guide us on the path that You have for our lives. Please remove pride from each of our hearts and replace it with a spirit of humility. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.