September 28, 2011
“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 and the things which are despised God has chosen.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28a)
My wife and I began our spiritual journey together by heading to Winona Lake, Indiana, to attend Grace Theological Seminary. While there, God used me to lead a small youth group Bible study. A very quiet young guy became a regular. This fellow would also come to my home to visit from time to time and while there he would say very little. One day he announced to us that God was calling him into missions. I have to admit – I was shocked! I had the overwhelming inclination to respond, “You, in missions? No way!” Through a series of events, God propelled this young man into becoming a life long missionary to an indigenous tribe in Panama. God has used him to translate the Bible into the tribal language of this people, thus giving them access to the word of God for the first time. Amazing! It was his testimony – along with many to follow – that taught me that my ideas about those whom God chooses to use in His service are perilously flawed.
One would think that the living God would choose to use people who have superior intelligence. After all, it seems reasonable that smart people get things done, right? Highly educated, intellectual people make the better Bible scholars, the better preachers, the better missionaries, the better all-round servants of God, right? And one would think that God would choose the strong, macho-type to carry His message of the gospel. After all, physically powerful people have more staying power and are better able to weather bad situations, right? And one would think that God would be pleased to use those of noble birth, those with the right family tree. After all, these folks have the most political influence, and they usually have the clout to get things done, right? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
The way God thinks is just the opposite from the way this fallen world thinks. In this world’s view, strength is strength, weakness is weakness, and intelligence is intelligence. At the top of this world’s list of desired qualities are physical attractiveness, intelligence, physical strength, wealth, and talent. In God’s realm, the seemingly strongest things are the weakest, and the seemingly wisest things are the most foolish. In His plan, the physically strong are often defeated by the weak. Those whom the world considers foolish are used for His glory far more often than the wise. The world’s nobodies are the very ones whom God chooses to use as His some-bodies.
A simple, uncomplicated, uneducated, untalented, believer who trusts Jesus Christ as Savior and who faithfully and humbly follows Him throughout his life is far wiser than the brilliant scholar who seems to take delight in mocking the Bible. The believer, through simple childlike faith, has a personal relationship with the living God and knows what it means to be forgiven and to experience real love. He knows the actual meaning of life and has a vibrant hope for life beyond the grave.
God has placed eyes within the soul, giving the Christian the astounding ability to gaze into the magnificence of His word and the capacity to catch glimpses of His infinite wisdom. The unbelieving scholar, on the other hand, knows nothing beyond his own human thinking and his own physical experience. He sees nothing beyond this life and lives without knowing real love and hope for eternity.
Early in my Christian life I was taught that if I could just lead a great athlete or a popular entertainer to Christ, they could have a tremendous positive impact for Christ. Our Lord did not think like this when He chose His disciples. Few of them would measure up to any of this world’s standards for greatness. In fact, according to God, the greatest man who ever lived, apart from Jesus Christ, was John the Baptist. Think of it!
This man was completely out of step with the main stream. He had no money, no official education, no powerful political position, no social status, and certainly no impressive appearance. To put it bluntly, John was weird! He was apparently not much of a looker. He came out of the wilderness wearing a prophet’s cloak, had long hair, and ate a strange diet of locusts and honey. He was a preacher! Yet Jesus said that no one born of woman was any greater than John the Baptist. That twists our human thinking, doesn’t it! In fact, Jesus prayed a prayer of praise to His Father thanking Him that He actually hid spiritual truths from the wise and intelligent and in contrast, He revealed them unto babies.
What I have come to understand through all my years of ministry is that human weakness and frailty are the very traits that God often chooses to use to express His glory. God delights in confounding this world’s attitudes. His amazing power comes to His children when their physical strength is spent. His wisdom is revealed through them when their human intelligence fails. He opens doors for them for ministry when all doors seem to be shut. He appears to relish in frustrating those who are arrogant and proud by subjecting them to His ministry through the weak and humble.
Why is this true? It is really not complicated. God hates pride. Pride was the reason for the fall of Satan and the reason for the fall of the human race. Human pride remains the mainspring behind all rebellion against God. Our craving for praise, beauty, wisdom, power and material possessions are energized by our pride. In a stark contrast, Jesus said that those who will be the greatest in His kingdom are to possess a simple, childlike faith.
Childlike trust in God’s ability is the main ingredient for success in the Christian life. Not one of us who know Jesus Christ can stand before God and claim that we had even a small part in our salvation. Not one of us will be able to claim one small smidgen of glory for ourselves in anything that has been accomplished for God through us. All of the glory and all of the praise will go to Him alone. God will have it no other way. As the vapor of life continues to drift into eternity, God continues to faithfully use those whom the world thinks are foolish, weak, and zeroes.