GLORYING IN THE LORD...

 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;  and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” --1 Corinthians 1:26-31

 Dear Girls,

These verses tell us that God does not choose many wise, noble or  mighty according to the flesh.   In fact, God usually chooses pretty simple folks.  I am reading through the Gospel of Luke right now and as I read this passage in Corinthians my mind went to Mary.  Mary had no credentials...in fact she had three strikes against her.  She was young, poor and a woman....unusable in her culture for any great work.  But God...He chose her to be the mother of His Son.  This is so encouraging to me...our God is not a respecter of persons.  I don't have to be rich, famous, wise or strong to be used by God.  I just have to acknowledge my own weakness...my own sinful heart and believe.   He does the rest!

 What do these verses tell us the reason is for God choosing the foolish, weak and base things of the world?  The simple answer is so "that no flesh should glory in His presence." and THAT is His mercy to us!  He knows what we are like.  If the messenger was famous, intelligent or mighty we, being the fallen humans we are, would worship them.  We would look to them and honor them instead of God.

"ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY,

Man will always disappoint.  There is NO help for us in man.  God is our shield and our exceedingly great reward.  He wants us to look to Him AND BE SAVED.  This is a warning to us who love Jesus and serve Him to stay humble.  Jesus came as a humble servant and all He did glorified His Father in Heaven. The Bible tells us that when people saw Jesus, they saw the Father in Heaven.  Most true ministers of God's word are not much in and of themselves. I thank God for that.  I do not need the messenger to distract me from the person and the message of Christ...the world provides enough distractions for me.  Salvation is the power of God...there is  NOTHING we can do to earn it or as a minister to make someone else accept it.  It is not about the messenger...it is about Him.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ spoken about by the prophet Isaiah.  John made it abundantly clear in his gospel that He was NOT the Christ.  He describes himself as 'THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: "MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD." 'He also says that He who comes after Him (that would be Jesus)  is preferred before Him and that he is not even worthy to unloose His sandal strap.  In chapter 3 John  responds this way to his disciples who had come to him upset that multitudes were now going to Jesus to be baptized instead of John.

He must increase, but I must decrease.--John 3:30

John understood that he had fulfilled his mission...he had done his job.  He had been obedient.  He had pointed people to Jesus...John knew it was not about him.  His job was to make straight the way of the Lord and bear witness to Him.    These 7 words are the essence of what true ministry is.  Pointing others away from us and to Jesus!  GLORY IN GOD YOUR SAVIOR!!  LIVE. FOR. HIM!


He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it--Matthew 10:39