Daily Devotions
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. 1 Corinthians 1:27
There are surprises in the business world. A company in the computer field was going broke. It began to make millions when it switched to making something else—the homely Cabbage Patch Dolls.
From a human viewpoint there are surprises in the way God deals with us. His sense of values seems so different from ours. This is what Saint Paul writes, “Since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). He asks, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). What a surprise that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and that God’s weakness is stronger than the sum total of human power!
It is true: God chose the weak things of this world—and often weak people—to accomplish His purposes. His plan for our salvation was different from any plan we might have devised. Not in a royal palace but in Bethlehem’s stable lies a weak little baby, Jesus. He is the Son of God, and through Him we are redeemed—not by a mighty ruler or a wise scholar. The first messengers sent out to preach the Gospel were twelve ordinary men. They were not highly educated; they were not equipped with mass communication; they were not backed by an army, navy, or air force. Yet they set the world upside down for Christ.
You can apply God’s surprising sense of values to your own life. You learn not to despise what is small and weak: your child, your limited possessions, your fleeting moments, and your days. In the hands of God, great things can come about through you. Think of the company that couldn’t make it with computers but succeeded with rag dolls.
PRAYER: Lord God, give me the wisdom to discover and to use the important things in my life to Your glory and the good of all. 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.)