Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
GOD’s Wisdom versus Man’s wisdom
“What no
eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the
things God has prepared for those who love him.
Paul,
a Jewish man trained under the great Jewish teacher, Gamaliel (Acts 22:2-4),
makes an interesting claim in the beginning of this passage. Paul, who
was a learned man and a man of strong convictions, declares that he did not
come with ‘eloquence or superior wisdom, but in weakness and fear and much
trembling’, to share the gospel of Christ, in order to demonstrate that the
power of the Spirit (the wisdom of GOD) was infinitely greater than his own
wisdom (the wisdom of the world) (v 1-5). This was a man who could have
said that he spoke with great knowledge and wisdom because of his educational
and religious background, yet he took no credit for the content of the gospel
message that he shared with the world. The hero of the gospel message is,
and will always be CHRIST.
Paul
was comparing and contrasting the wisdom of man versus the wisdom of GOD.
The gospel is contrary to human wisdom. Imagine for a minute, that you
are given the task of designing a plan for salvation for the world. What
would your blueprint look like? I know that I would have designed a plan
where I would pay back my bad deeds by doing a certain number of good deeds to
even out the balance. Maybe I would throw in a few rituals to make the
whole repentance of sin look official in front of GOD. I think most of us
would probably design something similar. In fact, most world religions
have some variation of this salvation plan.
However,
according to Paul, the wisdom of GOD is offensive to the world, when it
examines HIS salvation plan. The world found it repugnant to have the
Creator of the world, the SON of GOD, die the death of a criminal, in order
that the sins of the world can be taken on and defeated by GOD (1
Corinth. 1:18). The gospel of the cross is foolishness in the wisdom of
man, but to the believer, it is the power of GOD. HE trampled death under
HIS foot, and sin no longer has power over us because HE overcame it.
THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL.
Isn’t
GOD’s salvation plan infinitely more creative, infinitely more powerful than
any you could have designed? Aren’t you glad that we have the cross- a
symbol of GOD’s ultimate power over sin? The plan for CHRIST’s death,
burial and resurrection for the salvation of the world was birthed out of GOD’s
wisdom. Isn’t it safe to say, while GOD’s wisdom may be foolish in
the eyes of man, but it is powerful and worth believing in?
Thought for the day: an excerpt of a poem
“GOD’s wisdom; Man’s Folly” - So wonderful are all His counsels, His wisdom's
too great for me, He understands the whole universe, And the hurt inside,
He sees… Just how much God really loves us, Beyond what we can comprehend, For
God is more than omnipotent, He is our dearest
friend. © By M.S.Lowndes
Prayer: We thank you LORD that in YOUR wisdom, you saw our need
for a SAVIOR and gave YOURSELF up for us to fulfill that need; we praise YOU that YOUR wisdom is infinitely more
precious than the wisdom of man.
Dr. Jeeji
Mathunny – Epiphany Mar Thoma Church, NY.
Theme for the week: Seeking
the wisdom of God