A Life Worthy

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Corinthians 1:25).

You know those people who are better on their worst day than you are on your best day?

You know who I’m talking about.  The person who looks better after sleeping on a bus for three hours than you look on your way to a wedding.  The guy at the gym who lifts more on his “easy” day than you do in a week.  The one who picked up an instrument a week ago and can play the piece you’ve been attempting–unsuccessfully–for years.

Yeah, I like to throw rocks at those people.

It’s like that with God, but in a good way.

Not the rock throwing part, the “better than you” part.

He’s just so far beyond us…there’s really no way to quantify him

or question him

or challenge him

and yet we just gotta try, don’t we?

Beloved, before you charge into your Wednesday, why don’t you soak for a minute in a few simple truths:

He really is all-wise.

He really is all-powerful.

He really does love you.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”  Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar?  Where is the philosopher of this age?  For since in the wisdom of God the world in its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe  (1 Corinthians 1:19-21).

God doesn’t play tricks.

I don’t think he sat on his throne and thought, “Oh, this’ll be hilarious!  I’ll make redemption so illogical that most people will reject it as foolishness.  It’ll only make sense to utter morons!  I shall build my kingdom upon the backs of idiots!  WooHoo!!”

Man, I hope it wasn’t like that.

God is not saying that we have to abandon our brains in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  After all, he gave us our intellect, and we honor him when we use it for his glory.  But, like everything else in creation, our minds have been corrupted by sin, so that now we look at everything through the egocentric lens of Pride.  This distorts the wisdom of Almighty God and makes it look like foolishness.  That’s why, in his letter to the Romans, Paul says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”  You see, God’s plan makes sense only when we see it in the light of faith and not of flesh.

So as you move into your Monday, don’t expect the world to understand.  They can’t.  Instead, ask the father of all wisdom to renew your mind, so that you can use it for his glory.

Happy Monday, Beloved.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel–not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).

See, this is why Paul is Paul and I am just Michael.

Paul gets it.  He totally understands, right from the get-go, that you can’t convince someone into Heaven.

You can’t argue them in.  

You can’t debate them in.

You can’t meme them in.

It’s gotta be the cross.

There’s power in sacrificial love, and the greater the sacrifice, the greater the power.

Hence the cross.

The gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, mind-numbing, veil-tearing power of love that infinitely transcends my feeble words and useless arguments.

Oh, Father, how could you do it?  How could you give your Son over to such pain, such disgrace, such emptiness?  How could I possibly be worth that, when you and I both know what goes on inside this pathetic excuse for a heart?

You see, Beloved?  That there’s the power that will change a life and save a soul.

Spend a little time at the foot of the Cross this morning, will you?

Happy Thursday.

 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10).

I know.

I know.

Some people are just so wrong about so many things.  I mean, just because they’re believers doesn’t mean they aren’t wacked out when it comes to points of doctrine, or social issues, or political parties.

‘Course, if they’re believers, I guess they got the most important thing right.

You see, Beloved, that’s Paul’s point.  If they’re believers, then nothing else really matters.  If we allow any peripheral fluff to cause division, to ruin our fellowship, then the world says, “Look, they’re no different” and the enemy wins.

And you know they’re watching.

So maybe you don’t agree on that point of doctrine, or that social issue, or that political party.  God’s not calling you to abandon your brain.  But we can agree that we are one in Christ, we can stand together, and we can let our love for each other demonstrate the power of God’s grace in our lives.

Besides, you may be the one who’s wrong.

Or, worse yet…

I may.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8).

Sometimes I wonder if the Bible even applies to me.

Because I don’t feel strong, and I know I’m not blameless.

Peek into my heart and you will see.

Yeah, on second thought…don’t.

Those are the times when I have to remind myself that this passage really isn’t about me at all.

It’s about him.

It’s about the power of his grace to be strong in my weakness, to take my overwhelming blame and make it his, then make it gone.  It’s about God’s unfathomable ability and promise to create in me the man he has called me to be, so that I will–no might, no should–be ready when he returns for me.

So, this passage rings false if I make it about me, but makes complete sense if I make it about him.

Kinda like life.

Happy Friday, Beloved.