Foolishness To Those Perishing




For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18)

Meditation

I used to be one of those people who think you have to be a fool to believe in God and the Bible. I looked around the world; all I saw was war, death, and destruction. How could a Holy God, who is supposed to love and care for us, allow such misery? I decided God either never existed or if he did, he must be dead, or he didn’t care. I would shout out my contempt for God and religion to anyone who would listen. I usually wasn’t very nice to you if you tried to convince me I was wrong.
The fallacy of my assumption was, I blamed God for what sinful people do. I blamed God for wars. Even though many wars have been fought in the name of God, not one yet has been the will of God. I was given the free will to choose to believe what other fallen people were telling me, or what the words of scripture tell me. For too many years, I chose wrong. God is in control, but he does not manipulate our thoughts and behaviors. He doesn’t prevent the evil choices of men or the consequences of their actions. He is there, however, to help pick up the pieces.
Today, this the world is in a headlong spiral to destruction. Many of the leaders of the Free World think they have the ideas to bring peace and security. Of course, their ideas center around one world government with little or no individual freedoms. The Third World also has a few leaders who would like nothing more than to bring the Free World to ruin. The wisdom of the leaders on both sides will come to nothing and they will both suffer ruin because their plans don’t include God or come from him.
The words of scripture jump off the pages for me now that I believe. I am saved by my faith in Christ Jesus. I have made him the Lord of my life. I have received joy and peace that feels like a warm shower on a cold day. Unbelievers don’t understand my joy. Many of them think I am being foolish for trusting a being I can’t even see. My changed heart is proof he is real, and I thank him every day. I pray for those who don’t believe all the time. I pray, that like me, they will see their wisdom is unreliable and their need for a Savior is great. The consequences for continuing in false beliefs are eternal.


Daily Prayer


God of our fathers, we praise and glorify your name to the four corners of the earth. We know the power of your will and what it means for our lives. It was your plan, from the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, to provide a path for our salvation. Father, that path led your Christ right to the cross. When we were unbelievers, we couldn’t understand how a man, being executed almost two thousand years ago, could possibly benefit us today. Just as we once did, today’s unbelievers think it’s total foolishness. What they don’t comprehend is, that man who was executed was Immanuel, God with us. It was your Son, Jesus, but the story doesn’t end with his death. He rose from the dead three days later, which not only proved the power of our Almighty God but meant death had been conquered. Thank you, Father, for your saving grace, for your mercy to forgive our many sins, and for the opportunity to serve you through serving our fellow man. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

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