Forget Everything Else

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)  ¹And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. ²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Something labeled weak is usually considered to be substandard or inefficient. To be weak is generally not a good thing.  Likewise, the word fear often indicates a sense of being afraid.  Yet in today’s text, Paul uses these words to describe how he approached the Corinthians with the message of God.  Was Paul scared? No, I don’t think so.

Weakness can be used in the sense of a special desire for something that is difficult to resist; as in, “I have a weakness for chocolate.” (I do.)  Fear can denote a reverential awe toward God.  By re-reading today’s text, we understand that Paul did not come with fancy words or a know-it-all attitude.  He came with the plain and simple truth; furthermore, he relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the message of God.  Paul made the decision to put everything else aside and focus on the ONE for whom he had an incredible weakness and could not resist—Jesus Christ, crucified; our Lord and Savior.

 

Gracious Heavenly Father, our LORD God Almighty,

Teach us to forget everything else except Jesus Christ, crucified; our Lord and Savior.  Grant us wisdom to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim this message through us. May everything that we think, say, or do, point others toward saving faith in Christ.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotion Forget Everything Else was originally written for Thursday, January 5, 2017; for Maranatha Devotional Guide, an Advent Christian Publication https://acgc.us   As the original author of this devotion, I reserve the right to update and share it on my current devotional blog Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Foolish Things

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV)  ²⁶Brothers and sisters, 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. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰It 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. ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Foolishness. What does it mean? Most definitions lead to the idea of something trifling, insignificant, of very little importance, or of no consequence.  According to the world, it is foolishness to waste a perfectly good Sunday morning going to church when you could be enjoying a game of golf, fishing, soccer, or any multitude of activities.  According to the world, it is foolishness to tithe to God’s work when you could be saving up for a new car, home, vacation, or even a rainy day.  According to the world, it is foolishness to believe in a God that can’t be physically seen when you could be focused on yourself, your needs, and your wants and any other tangible concern.  According to the world, foolishness is anything that replaces self-importance. This defines the wisdom of the world.

What did God use to refute the wisdom of the world?  He chose what the world rejected and despised.  He chose his One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.  This defines the wisdom of God.

Isaiah 53:3-6 (NIV)  ³He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. ⁴Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

Gracious Heavenly Father, our LORD God Almighty,

We humbly thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. Forgive our arrogance and self-importance. Turn us toward wisdom that comes from you, your righteousness, your holiness, and redemption through your Son.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotion Foolish Things was originally written for Wednesday, January 4, 2017; for Maranatha Devotional Guide, an Advent Christian Publication https://acgc.us   As the original author of this devotion, I reserve the right to update and share it on my current devotional blog Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Everything is Meaningless: Part 2

Ecclesiastes 2:17-25 (NIV)  ¹⁷So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ¹⁸I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. ¹⁹And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²²What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? ²³All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. ²⁴A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

In today’s text we continue our exploration into the apparent meaninglessness of life. What a wonderful example of dramatic irony. Taking today’s text at surface value, it would appear finding pleasure in life is meaningless.  Wisdom and foolishness are meaningless because they cancel out each other. Even work is meaningless.  Common sense tells us there must be a different intended message, and so there is! 

Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 (NIV)  ¹²I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Digging deeper into King Solomon’s writings we discover the key:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NIV) Now all has been heard; and here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Years later, Paul echoed the same message when he wrote,

Colossians 3:17, 23 (NIV) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus ... Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.

Simply stated, nothing has greater meaning, value, and purpose than to live a life full of love and service to God. For only then will we be able to say, “Everything is meaningful!”

 

Gracious Heavenly Father, our LORD God Almighty,

There are so many who have lost hope and feel as if we are just spinning our wheels from day to day. We wonder if we are truly accomplishing anything of value. Forgive our short-sightedness. For truly, Heavenly Father, when we accomplish daily tasks with the wisdom, knowledge, and skill you have provided for us, nothing is lost; everything is useful to you. The key is focusing on You. There can be no better reward for our labor than to know we did our best for our Heavenly Father.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotion Everything is Meaningless: Part 2 was originally written for Tuesday, December 27, 2016; for Maranatha Devotional Guide, an Advent Christian Publication https://acgc.us   As the original author of this devotion, I reserve the right to update and share it on my current devotional blog Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Everything is Meaningless: Part 1

Ecclesiastes 1:2-10 (NIV)  ²“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” ³What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? ⁴Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. ⁵The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. ⁶The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. ⁷All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. ⁸All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. ⁹What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. ¹⁰Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new?” It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Most definitions for the word meaningless indicate something that is without value or purpose.  In today’s text, King Solomon identifies several such apparently meaningless things.  Among the many examples are the sun, wind, and water.  The sun—rises, sets, rises, sets, etc. The wind—blows here, there, here, there, etc.  The water—flows to rivers then oceans, but the oceans never fill.  Do we really think King Solomon is suggesting all this is meaningless?  Is there no hope left? 

We might have to dig a little deeper than today’s text, but a continuing study of Ecclesiastes reveals the answer. Rather than placing our focus on meaningless cycles of repetition, which if we are honest, we are too often tempted to do; we should place our focus upon the magnificent balance of all things created by our Heavenly Father.  You see, the sun rises and sets to create sustainable weather cycles. It also measures the time and seasons. The wind blows to create a powerful energy resource, bring cooling temperatures, as well as to provide pollination. Water flows to the oceans, evaporates, and falls back to earth as fresh water thus creating a life-sustaining water cycle.  God’s creation sustains our lives and brings hope for renewal.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!

 

Gracious Heavenly Father, our LORD God Almighty,

Forgive us when all too often we become bogged down in the redundancy of life, or worse, fail to notice your amazing creation so apparent in our daily lives and so necessary for sustaining life. Forgive us when we take for granted the sun and wind and water you provide. We thank you for your provision. Your creation fills us with humility and gratitude, for without it we would fail to exist.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, Amen.

 

The devotion Everything is Meaningless: Part 1 was originally written for Monday, December 26, 2016; for Maranatha Devotional Guide, an Advent Christian Publication https://acgc.us   As the original author of this devotion, I reserve the right to update and share it on my current devotional blog Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com

Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.