Call Me Foolish

I want to pick up today with where I left off yesterday in 1 Corinthians.

"For to those who are perishing the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is God's power. For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts. 

Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn't God made the world's wisdom foolish? For since, in God's wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and God's wisdom, because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." vs. 18-25

What immediately comes to mind upon reading these verses is how often we attempt to reason the gospel to those who do not believe. In fact, I've known many atheists and agnostics who feel the way they do because they are attempting to understand Christianity through wisdom and they have never experienced the power of the cross. The reality is many Christians operate in their own wisdom as well. This is the reason why too many Christians live in the same way as the world. If we only have a head revelation of Jesus without ever having a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit, then we miss the one thing that will lead to true change in ourselves and in our lives. 

Our belief in the risen Savior is foolishness to the world. When we live by biblical values, we are called judgmental and old-fashioned. Living for a higher calling beyond whatever makes us happy is foolishness to the world. It is through foolishness to the world that we are saved. The disciples lived lives that seemed foolish to those living around them. To hear Jesus say, "Follow me" and immediately drop your fishing nets and never look back is complete foolishness! 

The verses here explain those in the world will stumble over our beliefs, yet when they are called and experience God's power they too can become as foolish as us! These verses give me so much encouragement in the face of persecution for my faith in Christ. Paul eloquently reminds us true wisdom is from God and His strength always defeats human strength. When I am weak in my flesh, His spirit makes me strong. When my human mind reaches its limits, His knowledge shows me new direction. 

Do you struggle with "understanding" God? My prayer for you today is to move outside of your earthly, human wisdom in regards to God and His word. I pray you experience a new and completely foolish level of wisdom in your life! I assure you when this starts to happen, you will begin to live life in a new way. You will have people, even other believers, begin to question your sanity. When that happens, hold fast to the word of God and let me be the first to welcome you to the "family!"