1 Corinthians 1:26, 27 - God Is Seeking People Who Will Walk In His Strength.
1 Corinthians 1:26, 27 (NKJV) For you see
your calling, brethren, that not many wise
according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called. 27 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;
1 Corinthians 1:26, 27 (NIV) Brothers, think
of what you were when you were called. Not many
of you were wise by human standards; not many
were influential; not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things
of the world to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:26, 27 (NLT) Remember, dear
brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in
the worlds eyes or powerful or wealthy when
God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the
world considers foolish in order to shame those
who think they are wise. And he chose things
that are powerless to shame those who are
powerful.
COMMENTARY PEARL
God's Choices
God delights in choosing and using people
that the world would ignore and call useless. He
does it so nobody can take the glory or the
credit for what He does. Those who think they are
intelligent and strong are often put in their place when
they witness God using someone they would have
rejected and assumed was incapable of doing anything
noteworthy. If you have been slighted by the world,
don't discount yourself from being used by God.
His strength is made perfect in your weakness!
God doesn't need your ability; He needs
your availability! [My Time with God by Joyce
Meyer]
COMMENTARY
Unlikely Leaders
Sometimes God calls people to lead who
dont necessarily want to lead. When God called
Gideon to be a leader of Israel, he was hiding from
his enemies, the Midianites. The angel of the
Lord appeared and said to him, The Lord is
with you, you mighty man of valor! (Judges
6:12 NKJV). However, in that moment, Gideon was
about as uncourageous as he could be.
Gideon was cowering in fear because of
his enemies, yet the Lord was calling him into
service. He protested, O my Lord, how can I save
Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh,
and I am the least in my fathers house
(Judges 6:15 NKJV). Another way to say that would
be, Im the runt of the litter. Dont
bother with me. My brothers - theyd do a much
better job. But God chose Gideon.
Sometimes the Lord chooses people who
dont want to be leaders because they know they
cant do it on their own. Theyll have
God-confidence instead of self-confidence.
Its also true that sometimes God does
not call people who do want to be leaders. Maybe
its because they want it too much. Maybe its
because they want it for the wrong reason. Its a
great privilege to be a leader, and there is great
joy in being able to perhaps see things change
or influence things or accomplish something of
value. But it isnt for the faint of heart.
Theres a price you will pay. If
youre a leader, wherever you might lead, you will
be misunderstood, misrepresented, mocked, and
criticized. Sometimes there even will be threats on your
life. So dont try to be a leader if God
hasnt called you to be one. But if He has called
you to lead, then by all means do so. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Ordinarily Useful
David was the most unexpected man to
ascend the throne of Israel. The people had chosen
a man named Saul. He stood taller than
everyone else and was somewhat charismatic. People
liked him. At first it looked as though Saul would
be a good king. But it wasnt long before he
was filled with pride and began blatantly
disobeying God. The Lord warned him, yet Saul kept
disobeying. Finally, the Lord said in effect,
Youre done. Im going to replace you.
Along came David, with reddish hair and
probably some freckles. The people who watched Samuel
anoint him as the next king of Israel perhaps
thought that Samuel was going senile. Are you
kidding me? Him? Youre choosing David of all
people?
Yet God sees things differently than we
do. David was just an ordinary shepherd boy, yet
he was chosen by God.
Why do you think God seems to go out of
His way to choose the most unqualified people?
Its a very simple answer: so Hell get the
glory. As 1 Corinthians 1:28"29 tells us, God
chose things despised by the world, things counted
as nothing at all, and used them to bring to
nothing what the world considers important. As a
result, no one can ever boast in the presence of
God (NLT).
You have nothing to say about the
circumstances youre facing right now. But you have a
lot to say about how you will react and what you
will live for.
God isnt looking for talented people,
gifted people, or handsome people. Im not saying
that He wont use those people. But God is
looking for available people, and He can do a lot
with a little. He can do extraordinary things
through very ordinary people. God uses ordinary
people to change the world. [By Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
God's Heroes
In many ways, we have lost the meaning of
the word hero. We throw it around so casually.
If you can put a ball through a hoop, you're a
sports hero. If you can play eight chords on a
guitar, you're a rock and roll hero. If you can
pretend to be something you're not, you're a
Hollywood hero. We have a strange concept as to who
our heroes really are.
I remember watching a well-known
journalist interview an actor about his recent movie,
which featured a politically troubled region of
the world. When the journalist asked the
celebrity what he thought should be done about the
political situation there, the actor responded, "Who
cares what I think?" and went on to point out that
he was just an actor. All too often, we
mistakenly think actors really are the people they
portray. We think they are heroes when, in fact,
they're just people like you and me.
A hero is someone who does something
sacrificial, something courageous. There are heroes
today, of course. We saw many of them in action on
9/11 and in the days that followed. But often,
today's heroes are operating behind the scenes, and
we never know about them.
As we look at heroes of the faith, those
in Scripture and in contemporary history whom
God put His hand on, one thing stands out: it
seems that God has always gone out of His way to
find individuals who did not necessarily look
like heroes. And that is precisely the point. God
isn't looking for a strong man or woman per se.
Rather, He's looking for someone who will walk in
His strength. [Every Day with Jesus by Greg
Laurie]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
2 Chronicles 16:9a - God Strengthens Those
Fully Committed To Him.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080728-0942.html
1 Peter 5:5, 6 - Humility; Avenue of Grace.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210905-0921.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
[BEGINS October 15, 2021]
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
