Foolishness and Weakness

I had some things to share about our weaknesses today but this verse from 1 Corinthians says it all:

1Corinthians 1:25-31

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD.”

Keep in Mind

There are times in life that God’s voice is louder, when we hear and understand what He’s calling us to more clearly than other times. There is nothing more heartening even though He’s often asking us to join Him in something others won’t understand and that has an uncertain outcome. Scripture is filled with such recounts from Noah to John and it’s wonderful that God desires this same intimacy with each of us. Noah, Abraham and Moses all had to wait decades before they saw God’s promises fulfilled and we shouldn’t expect our impatience to change the circumstances any more than in their cases.

So, it’s extremely important for us to remember and to be reminded of the times we unquestionably heard from God. Our trust is strengthened when we regularly consider God’s calling and our resolve is bolstered when we’re surrounded by folks that love us and help us keep His promise in mind.

Today is the anniversary of such a time for my family and I. Two years ago through various people, scriptures and circumstances we changed our lives to follow what we are certain is God’s best for us. Sarah Young in her book Jesus Calling sums it up well: “I have called you to follow me on a solitary path, making time alone with Me your highest priority and deepest joy. It is a pathway largely unappreciated and often despised. However, you have chosen the better thing, which will never be taken away from you. Moreover as you walk close to Me, I can bless others through you.”

Thank you for your reminders, encouragement and love. God is so proud of you, we are deeply touched.

Whatever You Say

That’s what I want to do Lord. No matter how hard, regardless of what will be said, please give me the strength, the wisdom and the confidence to trust that you know best.

I Love You

Good morning sweet Lord. I don’t know what today may bring but You do. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle everything that comes my way but You can. There’s going to be times I doubt whether I’m loved today but your love for me will be constant. Together can we please make a difference in someone’s life today? I love You so much.

Celebrate

2Corinthians 13:5-9

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you.  We couldn’t possibly do otherwise. We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.

Black or White

The world is not monochromatic. Seldom in life are the choices we’re confronted with so cut and dried or so easily identified. The good news for us is that ours is the God that places power in weakness, wisdom in simplicity and glory in humility. He is the God who overcomes death with life. With Him there is always more than meets the eye. When we choose to see things as either black or white we miss out on the reds, blues, greens, oranges and all the other colors He’s given us. As we learn to see through His eyes, there is beauty all around.

Weakness

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we humbly give our weakness to Him it transforms us into people with compassion for others. When we are aware of our shortcomings it frees us to see beyond the faults of those around us. It’s common for us to try to hide our weakness by amplifying the flaws of others, which only closes us off from God and the people He wants us to love. But people not afraid to share their weaknesses are a demonstration of His power.

I Got This

I got this is a pretty silly thing to say to the God of the universe. When someone far more qualified than ourselves offers to help, isn’t the smart thing to say, “absolutely”? Yet far too much of our life is kept from God. We each have weaknesses, flaws and wounds that we don’t trust Him to handle. We try to hide them from others, pretend they aren’t there and deal with them only when they become obvious. If we will trust Him, He’ll make our weakness strength, our flaws beautiful and use our wounds to help others heal.

Complete

Jesus says, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Our only hope for healing and wholeness is with God. He must be the source of our strength; there is no power apart from Him. We may gain temporary relief from the things we do ourselves but there’s no lasting effect. We’ve merely put a band-aid on something that requires a surgeon.

Finding Fault

People seem more and more critical with each passing day. Our opinions count like never before. We get to choose the next singing star, let the world know our current thought or activity and give reviews on everything from vacation destinations to potato peelers. One unfortunate result of this is that we are looking for what is wrong with everything. Finding the weaknesses in things or people is way too easy. Nothing is perfect, everything has faults. I want to try the more difficult task of finding the strengths in people, seeing the good that’s there and letting that be known.