November 3, 2022 WISDOM OF MEN OR POWER OF GOD?
1 Corinthians 2:4-6 “And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory;”
This passage exposes a huge problem in our culture. It seem that practically the whole world operates and gets it direction from the wisdom of men. We listen too, and admire those who have graduated from the ‘best’ universities, who have earned several degrees. We are quick to listen to those who speak persuasive words, words that seem to be wise. Organizations, including many churches, seek out those who have persuasive speech and a winsome personality to lead their enterprise. I’m certainly not opposed to higher education or having good command of the language or having a pleasant personality. Just because one may be ‘smart’ and may be able to speak persuasive words does not mean that they are speaking the wisdom of God. The apostle Paul was among the most educated people of his time, yet because of his encounter with God, Paul came to clearly understand and to know beyond any shadow of doubt that to live according to the wisdom of man is futile. Our faith must not rest on the wisdom of man-no matter how appealing it may sound; our faith must rest on the power of God. The power of God can and does supersede what we call wisdom; His power goes beyond; God has all power and all wisdom; God works miracles. The wisdom of God makes the wisdom of man look foolish. If I make decisions and come to conclusions that are solely based on the wisdom of man, or what seems right to me, I miss out on the opportunity to see the power of God intervene in my circumstances. There is a wisdom; Paul spoke wisdom among those who were mature, but the wisdom he spoke was from God-not man. Paul also demonstrated the power of the Spirit of God. The wisdom of God is a mystery and is hidden. Since that is true, what hope do we have of ever finding wisdom? The good news is that in Christ, the wisdom of God and the power of God is revealed. Those who are not in Christ do not have available to them the wisdom of God; yet the one who is in Christ, even though he may be uneducated according to man or lack persuasive speech, has the power and the wisdom of God available to him! How awesome is that! To you and I who are in Christ, the mystery of the wisdom of God has been revealed. Now, we no longer have to be led by the foolish wisdom of the world; we can now live according to the wisdom of God!
Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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