Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Tuesday 4/7/09)

Please let me first apologize for yesterday's blog not being posted, there was a bit of a time constraints and mix up, I do apologize...

Are You Wise Or Are You Foolish?

1 Corinthians 1:20-30 (Amplified Bible)

²⁰⁾ Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world's wisdom?

    ²¹⁾ For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).

    ²²⁾ For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom,

    ²³⁾ We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.

    ²⁴⁾ But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.

    ²⁵⁾ [This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.

    ²⁶⁾ For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.

    ²⁷⁾ [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.

    ²⁸⁾ And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,

    ²⁹⁾ So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.

    ³⁰⁾ But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].

     So often when we do not understand something, or we do not understand other people's reactions to a situation, and  we immediately begin to question them, their motives, their walk with the Lord, their integrity, and so many other values, characters and qualities.  It seems to be such an easy pattern to follow.  We say things like, " that is their issue, I am not calling, they will be okay in a minute, things like that."  That is because it never requires that we look at ourselves.  It never requires that we take the level of responsibility off of others and place it where it may need to be, which is on us.  Our Pastor said something very profound in a message months ago , that stuck with me and this statement is becoming more real and relevant as my days go on.  He said " A wise Man ask questions of himself, a foolish man ask questions of others."  It was not to say that asking a question to obtain information for the betterment of ones self was the problem, but the problem is for most of us when we want to look to everyone else as the issue instead of doing the work that causes us to look at ourselves.  We do not want to become vulnerable enough to admit that we have issues and that we are less than perfect, when we all are.

    God wants us to let Him remove things from our lives, but for all of us ( whether it is now or at some time or another), we have resisted His plea for us to come to Him for healing, deliverance and cleansing.  We would rather live a life that frames everyone else with the problems and issues then for us to have to open up our eyes, spirits, and minds and identify that there is a problem inside of us.  It is like that individual that walks around for months, in pain and suffering in silence, or denying that anything is wrong, but is insistent that others care for themselves, by proper nutrition, fitness, spiritual and mental wellness and regular check ups only to find that they do not follow their own advice.  One day they find they must got to the doctor only to find that it is too late, that they have allowed a disease that could have been prevented or stopped to consume them and destroy them.  Likewise, so many of us are doing the same things spiritually and emotionally.  We are ruining friendships, relationships, and our walk with the Lord because we choose to see EVERYONE ELSE BUT OURSELVES AS A PROBLEM!

    My mother use to say the things that you accuse people of in many cases are the things that we most need deliverance from, in our own lives.  Do we want to continue to play the fool and ask question of others or is today is a great day to get a bag pf Wise and ask questions of ourselves?   I am sure that if we looked through the eyes of wisdom we would see those same offenses that we are questioning in others lie within us.  Let God Do what needs to be done. It is time to stop dumbing down and it is time to Wise UP!