Blessed God, the blessing of life sometimes gets clouded with burdens and worries; clear the vision of this dear reader to see the fullness of life; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from 1 Corinthians 1: 18 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. 19 It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots. 20 So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? 21 Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb - preaching, of all things! - to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. 22 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, 23 we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle - and Greeks pass it off as absurd. 24 But to us who are personally called by God himself - both Jews and Greeks - Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. 25 Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness." (The Message)
The things of God for those who are not of God make no sense. I've shared before how during my days as a campus minister we had a young man discovering God and the things of God who had to lie to his mother about where he was going so that he could get permission to come to our ministry activities. His mother preferred that her son go to a dance or out clubbing with his friends, than to attend a Bible study or an evening of Christian worship and fellowship. I've heard mothers say to their sons, "May God never permit it!" to their inquiries about becoming a pastor. Paul discovered this early in his training in his scriptures, then later as Christ's evangelist he learned it firsthand; some folks just don't get it or don't want to get it when it comes to knowing about God's great love. What does that mean, that we should give up and let those who are "hellbent on destruction" stay on course? In no way! Ours still continues to be the joyous task of making sure they get it, so that their lives may be saved and blessed.
One of the churches in my district is a small, historic wooden frame building. Its only neighbor is across the street. In it lives a little girl who when she was old enough to cross the road by herself, came to the church to see what was going on and as the pastor tells it, "she adopted everyone of us." Even at that early age I can see that the things of God make sense to her. Everytime the doors of the church are open, she's there and she's even brought along her chihuahua, yes, even to worship.
May the things of God not only make sense in your life, make they make your life.
(Say this prayer as your own)PRAYER: God of life, let me understand, truly understand and accept everything that has been shared with me about You. May my life be made whole and blessed in Your love. Help me to share, always share, with others about those things that saved me and made me whole. Let me never give up; in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
