“Brothers, think of what you were when you
were called. 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. He chose the lowly things of
this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify
the things that are, 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 him who boasts boast
in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
The apostles were uneducated Galileans, but
God chose them to launch a movement of faith that is still strong and growing
today. No educated group could have been
more powerfully used than were these eleven simple men. Where did they get the power to accomplish
what they did? It couldn’t have come
from them, it had to come from the Lord!
Zacchaeus was so small he had to climb a tree
to see through the crowd and spot Jesus.
He was an outcast among the people of Jericho, called “a sinner” because
of his dishonorable profession. You can
imagine the laughs at his stature that must have happened behind his back. But something happened that day when he met
Jesus. You can’t explain it through
Zacchaeus’s intelligence or his sensitivity to spiritual things. God did something in Zacchaeus’s heart that
was so radical that He is the only explanation.
Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. A woman can’t get any more disreputable than
that. She couldn’t then, and she still
can’t today. But that prostitute was
given the very first glimpse of the Risen Lord.
Only God would have chosen a witness like her. Man’s wisdom would have chosen someone more
upstanding, someone people would have listened to more readily. But God chose
one whom He had changed so radically it was almost unbelievable.
The apostles, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, and
millions of others are testimonies to God’s power and God's grace. None of us is a testimony to our own
intelligence, abilities, and power. The
only testimony that is worth giving is a testimony to His wisdom, His gifts,
and His power. He deserves the credit
and the praise -- all of it!!!
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment