The Intrigue of a Mystery!
Father, as we come together this evening, stimulate my mind with Your thoughts and directives. May Your words find their way into my head and through my fingers. Amen.
1 Corinthians 2:6-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
From my youth, I have enjoyed mysteries. I read several of the Hardy Boys books, as well as Nancy Drew. I’ve enjoyed watching several movies and TV series revolving around the character of Sherlock Holmes. Recently I’ve gotten into Netflix’s Enola Holmes movies (Sherlock’s teenage sister) and my niece introduced me to the first book of Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell Mysteries, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (an apprentice to a retired Sherlock Holmes). There’s just something intriguing about a mystery.
In today’s passage the Apostle Paul, in addressing “mature believers” states,
I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God… vs6b-7a NLT
He then goes on to say at the end of verse 7, that it is a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. NIV
Are you intrigued as to what that mystery of God might be?
My Life Application Study Bible spells it out clearly in reference to the phrase at the end of verse 10,
For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. NLT
“God’s deep secrets” refers to God’s unfathomable nature and his wonderful plan – Jesus’ death and resurrection – and to the promise of salvation, revealed only to those who believe that what God says is true… All who reject God’s message are foolish, no matter how wise the world thinks they are.
I know I’ve shared my favorite verse many times over but…it fits!
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4 NLT
Humanity had no inkling as to what God had planned for us. Even those closest to Him only caught glimpses. But we now know what the plan was…we now know that it is the Good News! The Gospels tell the story. The word Gospel is the derivative of the Greek word for Good News.
Our all-knowing God knew what was going to happen and planned everything to ensure our salvation! He didn’t miss a single thing! The mystery has been revealed! Now that deserves a big ol’, “Praise the Lord!” for where would we be without Him?
Oct 4th, 2023, Wed, 7:27 pm
Not Our Wisdom, but God’s Power
(https://www.deviantart.com/cosmicgrooveart/art/Wise-Man-948242312)
I like this time slot better, Father, may I use our time together wisely and may I clearly hear Your voice. Amen.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
Several years ago, we had a new couple visit our one church. They had found the Lord later in life and yet, they were solidly grounded in their relationship with Him. They asked if we could start a Bible Study and we did, meeting one evening a week.
Initially, I asked if anyone interested in participating had any ideas as to what kind of Bible Study they wanted to do – a certain series, any specific author, etc. Well, in the end, they didn’t want anything that formal, they just wanted to come together, sit around a table, read a portion of the Bible, and then talk about it. There was nothing complicated or over-the-top about it at all. We started with John’s Gospel (it took us quite a while to get through it). It was enjoyed by all, and I feel was greatly beneficial as well.
At the end of verse 1 of our text the Apostle Paul, speaking to the church in Corinth, said,
I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do] AMP
He didn’t want to wow them with his intellect or all the big words he might use (and believe you me, he was more than capable of doing that!). He felt it was his responsibility to communicate not in persuasive words of wisdom but in a demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit [operating through me] and of [His] power [stirring the minds of the listeners and persuading them], so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom and rhetoric of men, but on the power of God. (emphasis mine) vs4-5 AMP
I strive to be very careful when I preach. Much of what I use is from scholarly sources, and if you’ve read much of that genre, they like using big words – especially big “religiousy” words – theological writings are full of them. For example, how about the word propitiation? It means… “to offer a sacrifice that appeases God’s just judgment and righteous anger against us and our sin.” …Jesus is not simply “the propitiator” but the “propitiation.” He is what satisfies the justice of God.
It is an important word in our faith, but it is a word I would not use on my blog or from the pulpit without explaining it.
If people don’t understand it, what does it accomplish besides someone sounding super intelligent? If it is incomprehensible to some, how does it challenge or help us?
There’s nothing wrong with prepared Bible Studies, many use them, and they can be greatly beneficial, but there’s something to be said for allowing the Holy Spirit to use His Word in speaking to us. May we strive to not just let our faith rest on the wisdom and rhetoric of men, but on the power of God. Amen.
Oct 3rd, 2023, Tues, 12:34 pm
Credit Where Credit Is Due
I got so absorbed in sermon preparation this afternoon, Father, that I didn’t even think about writing with You. I love that time slot together, but I know You understand and will be with me here and now. Thank You, Father.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (<<click here to read the passage)
A couple of weeks ago, my sermon dealt with David – he was not king…yet, but just a ruddy youth who excelled at tending his family’s flock of sheep. Our learning revolved around the story of Goliath and his interactions with the nation of Israel and their king, Saul, and ultimately his confrontation with the young shepherd boy.
For forty days Goliath taunted Saul and his army. The challenge? To send forth a champion for one one-on-one combat, and the victor would secure the victory for the entire army. So, for forty days the Israelites had cowered in fear, terrified and deeply shaken. 1 Samuel 17:11b NLT
Then David arrived with a care package from home for three of his brothers who served under Saul. Long story short (though it’s well worth the read!), David volunteers before Saul to avenge God’s honor. After a bit of hesitancy, Saul acquiesces to David’s offer, thinking it best to “ready” David for battle with parts of his own armor. David clanked around a bit and exclaimed,
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. vs39b-40 NIV
As we all know, David succeeded and took out the giant Goliath and won the day! The Bible says Goliath stood over 9 feet tall!
But let’s back up just a bit, David was victorious but to Goliath’s taunts, this was David’s reply,
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. vs45b-46 NIV
God got the credit. Even in David’s conversation with Saul, speaking of what he had been able to accomplish taking on a bear and a lion, God got the credit.
David accomplished what he did because he was united with God…period.
Verse 30-31 of today’s passage from 1 Corinthians, chapter 1 reads (make sure you read all those words in brackets!),
But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], so then, as it is written [in Scripture], “He who boasts and glories, let him boast and glory in the Lord.” AMP
David, a man about whom God said, “I have found David…a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22 NLT), did just that and we are called to do the same!
Oct 2nd, 2023, Mon, 4:57 pm
Chipmunk Syndrome
Father, it was surely a full day. I pray that people were moved to a more fulfilling understanding of communion today in our services. May Your Word not come back empty! Amen!
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One thing that we have a plethora of is chipmunks! And to my knowledge, I don’t believe that have gotten into anything that they shouldn’t have and haven’t caused any damage.
Karen gets a kick out of them because when she’s outside suddenly one will pop out from under our hostas or from behind the wood pile or wherever, they’ll take a quick look around and zip – they are off! All the while they have this air about them that they have gone unnoticed. They seem to feel that they are quite sneaky! Either they are oblivious to our presence or think they’re too fast for us to notice them.
I saw one suddenly appear out from our wood pile this morning, he looked, then darted under the wood splitter. It made me think of our relationship with God. Many times, we’re up to some sort of mischief or another – we’re as guilty as the day is long but we take a quick look around and seeing no one, dash off to our next endeavor. The thing is we are not getting off scott free. We are not going unnoticed. God Almighty is omnipresent and omniscient, i.e. He is everywhere and knows everything.
As sinners, to some degree, we are oblivious…or at least we’ve convinced ourselves into believing that there’s nobody there to catch us doing what we are doing. But we are only lying to ourselves. I would dare say that most of us know that we are doing wrong. We may not acknowledge that there is a God but down deep inside of us there is that conscience – and honestly, I believe it is the Holy Spirit calling us out, helping us to realize that what we are doing is not right. We are guilty.
As followers of Christ, we are only fooling ourselves. God knows and He is not sidetracked in the least. We “pretend” we are getting away with things, but thankfully the Holy Spirit’s speaking to us comes through more clearly, and though we may at times ignore Him, He eventually gets through all the barriers we have erected in our attempts to shut Him out. We realize the error of our ways, confess our sin – seeking forgiveness – and are reinstated into the graces of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am in a better place in my relationship with the Lord than at many times in my past, but I still occasionally struggle with “chipmunk syndrome”. Temptation can lure me to stop and contemplate something that if quickly addressed and cast aside has no lasting impact on me. But I can linger too long on something that the Lord and I have agreed is not good for me, and I had best be cutting it off sooner rather than later.
Lord Jesus, help me to abide in You – to stay close to Your side, for only there will I be able to see and feel what Your perfect will is for me in the here and now. Amen.
So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. James 4:7-8 AMP
Oct 1st, 2023, Sun, 7:42 pm
Our “Wisdom” on Its Ear
With all the pressure of so many things to get done, Father, I am grateful for Your grounded presence in my life. Where things could become overwhelming, You provide a solid base upon which to stand and to continue building my life. Praise Your Holy Name!
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (<<click here to read the passage)
“Thinkers” in this world think they have it all together and that they have all the answers. Even those who hold themselves to be “thinkers” but are more so “thinkers-on-the-side”, hold the same thoughts. It seems to me at least that a lot of people think they know stuff but in reality, are just rehashing what they have been told by someone along the way. They just think and repeat, and never really ponder and think through.
A good friend, following yesterday’s post, asked what the Apostle Paul meant by “foolish preaching” in verse 21. Here’s the verse.
Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. NLT
I needed to look at it, think about it, ponder it – and thinking it through, here is my answer.
First, I want to repeat a passage I shared a couple of days ago. The Lord says in Isaiah 55:8-9,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
….neither are your ways my ways,”
……..declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
….so are my ways higher than your ways
….and my thoughts than your thoughts. NIV
Too many of us think that we are right and everybody else is wrong. A great many hold thoughts on most biblical things to be foolish.
When Jesus came onto the scene, many held the Good News to be foolish because they thought the Messiah would be a conquering king accompanied by signs and miracles. He wasn’t the Messiah that they thought He should have been. And he was executed as a criminal… How could a criminal be a savior?
Greeks put Jesus and the Good News in the foolish category, as well. They didn’t believe in a bodily resurrection, and no reputable person would be crucified. To them, death was defeat, not victory.
Yet today foolish is the label placed by many on Jesus and the Good News. Our society worships power, influence, and wealth. Jesus came as a humble, poor servant, and he offers his Kingdom to those who have faith, not to those who do all kinds of good deeds to try to earn salvation.
God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. God turns our “wisdom” on its ear. What the world deems as foolishness, is true wisdom. And our foolish preaching has been used to save those who believe.
Death seems to be the end of the road, the ultimate weakness. But death is not the end. Because Jesus’ resurrection is only the beginning!
*Life Application Study Bible
Sept 28th, 2023, Thurs, 12:59 pm