Thought for May 27

 History:

• 1703: St. Petersburg founded by Peter the Great
• 1896: Tornado hits St. Louis killing 255
• 1930: Richard Drew invents masking tape
• 1930: Chrysler Building opens as tallest building in the world
• 1940: Operation Dynamo begins--Miracle at Dunkirk
• 1969: Construction begins at Walt Disney World
• 1994: Larry King ends his radio show
• 1995: Christopher Reeve paralyzed after falling from horse
• 2020: Covid death toll passes 100,000
• Born: Francis Beaufort [Beaufort wind scale], Julia Ward Howe, Wild Bill Hickok, Dashiell Hammett, Rachel Carson, Hubert Humphrey, Sam Snead, Herman Wouk, Christopher Lee, Henry Kissinger, Lee Meriwether, Ramsey Lewis, Louis Gossett Jr., 
• Died: John Calvin, Jerome Carlton [laziest man in history; inherited fortune at 19 and stayed in bed for the next 70 years], Luther Bridges ["There's Within My Heart a Melody"], Gregg Allman, Bill Buckner

Thought:

Reading First Corinthians 1:18-25. Have you ever thought about the foolishness of this world? We pay quarterbacks $50 million a year to play football and teachers less than one half of one percent of that amount. "Influencers" on Tik Tok make a million dollars a year to tell young girls what shoes to wear while our military is on food stamps. Take a look at what Paul says to the church at Corinth in these verses.

• The word of the cross is foolishness to those perishing. What a picture? People are dying, yet do not see that the only place to find life is in the death of Christ. His death gives life--or as scripture says, unless the seed fall to the ground and be buried, there is not growth, no plant, no life. Blinded by the wisdom of this world--how can death lead to life? They don't understand that they are already dead in sin. They need new life. Lord help us tell the perishing that there is life in Your death, resurrection and ascension. 
• The word of the cross is power to those being saved. Different from the dying, for those being saved, the cross is not weakness but strength, the cross is not defeat, but victory. The power that raised Jesus from the grave is available to the believer to live the transformed life. 
• Some people want signs, others want wisdom, but the wisdom of God is Christ crucified. The Jews kept asking for a sign from Jesus--what sign did they need? He healed the lepers, He raised the dead, the lame walked, the blind saw, the sick were made well. So Jesus said the sign He would give was the sign of Jonah. And He gave that sign by rising from the dead, alive. The wisdom of this world cannot see or understand---God's wisdom is a demonstration of His love for us, His power over death, His grace and mercy for sinners. 
• The foolishness of God is wiser than men. When will I get this in my head and heart. God says love our enemies, do good to them that mistreat you, pray for those that make you suffer. Foolishness. But we saw that in Christ, so it must be wisdom. Lord, help me see Your wisdom in Your word and trust it. 
• The weakness of God is stronger than men. Think about that for a minute. We look around for strong people--physically strong people; mentally strong people; financially strong people; intellectually strong people. Then we consider God. Take a look at Isaiah 40. A couple of weeks ago, our choir sang a hymn based on this text. Who is like God? Holds oceans in His palm; weighs mountains in His scales; lifts islands like dust; men are like grasshoppers; stretches out the heavens like a curtain; created the stars; never gets tired or weary. He is strong, so in our weakness, in Him we gain strength.

Today, seek the wisdom from above; trust the foolishness of God; it is power for this life and a guarantee of the life to come; look to Him for wisdom and strength. There is none like Him. 

Blessings

Larry