Daily Devotions
God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27
People say “It’s for the birds” to express the futility or unimportance of something. But these little creatures are not to be underestimated. In Salt Lake City stands a monument to sea gulls that in 1848 saved the crops of the new settlers by eating the crickets. We read in the Bible that God directed the ravens to feed the prophet Elijah during a famine. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount points to the birds as teaching us not to worry, for the heavenly Father feeds them and us.
A great truth is involved here: God can do great things through weak beings. Saint Paul writes to the Corinthians, who had demanded wise and powerful speakers as their spiritual leaders: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. … 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” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
God chose to save the sinful human race through His Son, Jesus Christ, who became a man – a man whom the enemies could nail to a shameful cross. This Christ had chosen twelve very ordinary men to be His disciples, and they turned the world of the powerful Roman Empire upside down through the preaching of the simple Gospel of God’s love. He chose also the apostle Paul, of whom it was said: “In person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing” (2 Corinthians 10:10).
God still accomplishes His saving purpose that way – often through uninfluential people: little children whose faith in Jesus is an example to adults; through poor, and often poorly educated, people who possess the wisdom of God; through social outcasts whom God has accepted because they believed in Him. Through these He gets the job done.
“It’s for the birds”? The situation is hopeless? Not if God has a purpose to fulfill. Perhaps you are living proof of this.
PRAYER: O Lord God, give me wisdom and strength to fulfill my tasks. Amen.
(Devotions from “With Jesus Every Day” copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)