|
This Week's Devotion
Article Headline
|
Verse Of The Week
|
|
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 : 27
|
|
|
FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
Through fellowship with God, all manner of changes have been brought about in those who serve Him. If you read through His Word, you discover that God rarely - if ever - chose anyone who had it all together to do His work. Instead, He chose some of THE most unlikely - and in some cases, unlikable - people available. Why? Paul alluded to this in his first letter to the Corinthians...
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. 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. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
So God chose those whom the world would not choose, then through fellowship with Him, their lives were transformed...
Through fellowship with God, the Apostle John was changed from a blustering, physical, possibly mean-tempered person who had a very high opinion of himself (Mark 3:17, Luke 9:54, Mark 10:35-37) into the humble, loving, kind, gentle soul who penned the books of John, 1 & 2 John, and Revelation, and came to be known as "the one whom Jesus loved".
Through fellowship with God, the Apostle Paul went from the greatest persecutor of Christians to one of Jesus' greatest warriors, a man filled with humility and with the Spirit of God who wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament (Acts 7:58; 9:1-2, 20-22, Phil. 3:7-14).
Through fellowship with God, Peter was transformed from a cowardly, wishy-washy individual who spent an inordinate amount of time with his foot in his mouth, to the leader of the early church who was crucified for his faith in Jesus (Matt. 16:21-22, John 18:10, Matt. 26:33; 73-75; Acts 3).
Think back. Can you remember your life before the Lord? Can you remember who you were inside? Have you seen changes happening in you since you accepted Jesus' free gift? Are there changes "in progress" now?
Make a list of the things you are aware of that God has changed in you. Then thank Him in prayer for each of them, because each change causes you to be more like Jesus.
This is a repeat of devotion sent in 2006
|
|
