Tuesday, September 18, 2018: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Many children have the experience on the playground at school of having to divide into teams in order to compete. Of course, there are lots of ways to pick teams, but one of the more common methods is for captains (presumably two of the best players) to take turns choosing members to be a part of their team. In order to build the best possible team, captains take turns choosing the best possible people available from the remaining group. This, of course, leads to someone being the last pick, and that someone is perceived by most to be the worst player of the game.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians emphasized God has an entirely different method for choosing members of His team, the church. Whereas as you might expect our Captain to first choose the world’s more powerful, wise, and strong to be a part of His world-changing team, God instead chooses those the world despises or sees as weak and foolish. Why? Verse 29: “So that no one may boast in His presence.”
God chooses the despised, weak, and foolish for His team. That is, He first chooses “last picks.” He does this for His glory. He does it so that His chosen are less likely to think they are wise or powerful on their own, and therefore rob God of His glory put on display in the work of Jesus Christ.
- How might being called “chosen” both humble and encourage the Corinthian believers? How does it humble and encourage you in the midst of a world that finds the gospel foolish?
- What does the world find “foolish” about the gospel? What is your response to these things?
- Pray that God would continually make your boast the gospel, and that such “foolishness” would be the very power of God at work in and through you.