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You don’t need book smarts

You don’t need book smarts

1 Corinthians 2:1-5    And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

When I look back at my life, well what I can remember of it, I was never studious. I usually did only what it took to get by, and my mind always seemed to be elsewhere. I now look back and wonder if the recognized problem that haunts me today, haunted me in childhood; I can never retain what I read. I can understand complexities, but I cannot recount them after the fact. I now find myself in school again, loving the learning, but deeply struggling with the requirements. I have somewhat jokingly said that I live in the “present tense”. It does keep a hunger in me now for God in a childlike way; seemingly finding what I am looking for in God’s Word brings great joy. When I need it most, and the Holy Spirit brings it to remembrance, most do not understand the inner joy I receive in that blessing.

Paul was a highly educated man. He likely knew how to persuade a crowd with his speech down any path he might want. He could have easily impressed with eloquent words and the proof of the wisdom he had gained in his earlier years. He chose to draw glory to God, and not himself, in the simplifying of his preaching. He preached only Christ and Him crucified alone. It is in that power of the gospel that Salvation is found. It is in that simplicity that Grace is found. We have continued to put our works into our faith, and works does not save us; faith produces works, but works to not produce faith. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

You can do this; you can share your faith with anyone and everyone. You can share the peace, hope, and love, that you have found in the security of your Salvation. You can share the bad news that everyone will have to stand before God one day and give an answer for their lives. We all are sinners and fall short of the requirements of a Holy God. UNLESS, we have been covered by the blood of the Atonement that Christ gave us at the Cross. All one must do is to repent of their sins to be saved. It is answering that tug on their heart that God places there. It is not becoming a better person first; it is coming to Him to become a better person. That Gospel is available to all, and preach-able by all without any necessary edjumication.

 
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Posted by on August 18, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Well, if he can……

Well, if he can……..

Philippians 1:12 -14    But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Paul was in prison for preaching the Good News of Christ. His boldness in sharing his faith had landed him chained to most likely an elite guard in the Roman army. He knew his imprisonment could eventually lead to his death, but he did not slow down sharing the news that Christ is Lord. In a twist of irony the guards were chained to Paul; they could not escape his preaching; Paul knew this and pressed on. He saw God at work in all of this and the opportunity to take the gospel to where it would not have gone if he was not imprisoned. Paul rested on God’s sovereignty; knowing that God was at work in all of this. His boldness during his imprisonment became a huge encouragement to those who faced persecution; and reached those who may have seemed unreachable.

You are not where you are in your life by accident; God has either allowed or designed it. With that understanding should come a peace about it. I could list my own struggles as you, both large, and the daily that become large, but don’t all of them either draw our attention away from, or closer to God? The choice is ours; we either look down in the misery of the problem, or we look up to the glory of the Deliverer from it. I struggle with memory on a large scale that seems to be getting worse; I have coined the statement “ I live in the present tense”. With the genealogy of my family of those diseases, the reality of it is very scary. I choose not to focus on it, but to consistently pursue God in it. Every day I am out here seeking God looking up scriptures again & again that I just can’t memorize. This present tense keeps my heart seeking God for that word that is just on the tip of my tongue. Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Satan is the pinnacle of deception, and he plays on the “woe is me” of our souls continually. Satan always draws us to the pit of misery, and the “how could God” of despair. All he desires to do is to draw us away from the One who can take us away from what we are battling. There is no misery in the life of a disciple; only a life with different opportunities to show the love of Christ is all situations. How you handle these situations is a direct reflection of your faith to others. God  most likely is using you to encourage someone else facing the same battle without Him. Paul’s imprisonment encouraged those who might be facing persecution themselves. 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. “Well if Paul can do it through Christ, so can I.”

 
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Posted by on January 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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