Thought for November 22, 2024

• 1842: Mt St. Helens erupts, would happen again in 1980
• 1910: Steel shaft golf clubs patented 
• 1927: Frist snowmobile patent issued
• 1928: Ravel's "Bolero" premiers
• 1930: Elijah Muhammad forms the Nation of Islam in Detroit
• 1954: US Humane Society forms
• 1963: John Kennedy assassinated
• 1966: Steve Spurrier wins Heisman
• 1968: First interracial TV kiss--Captain Kirk and Uhura
• 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigns
• 1995: "Toy Story" released
• Born: Abigail Adams, George Eliot, Charles de Gaulle, Wiley Post, Rodney Dangerfield, Geraldine Page, Jamie Lee Curtis, Scarlett Johansson, Billie Jean King, Boris Becker, Robert Vaughn, Mariel Hemingway, Mark Ruffalo, 
• Died: C.S.Lewis, Aldous Huxley, Blackbeard, Mae West, Arthur Sullivan [Gilbert & Sullivan], Jack London, Shemp Howard [3 Stooges], Anthony Burgess, Emil Zatopek [4 Olympic Golds], Mary Kay Ash [cosmetics], 

Thought:

Reading 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 today and thinking about perspectives. We often talk about people who view the glass half full or those that view it half empty--different perspective. An undefeated sports team loses a game right before the playoffs. Some say, this is good because it removes the burden of the undefeated season, it wakes the team up for the playoffs. Others say this is bad, the team loses its momentum, it shows others the team can be beaten. Different perspective. The verses I am reading this morning draw a clear distinction between the perceptions of those in Christ and those who are not.

• The perishing see the cross as foolishness; the saved view the cross as the power of God. [1:18]
• Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. [1:23] But to the saved, Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God. [1:24]

Why the different perspectives? What causes some to look at Christ crucified and say that makes no sense for God to die? Others say, praise God Christ died for me. Paul answers the question by saying "God made foolish the wisdom of the world." [1:20] God's thoughts are not our thoughts and God's ways are not our ways. Man thinks God thinks and acts like man--but He does not. God hopes that man will think like God, but we refuse. When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, people must have thought this was foolishness--blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are you when persecuted. The world did not see those things as blessings. Jesus tells us we must die to self to really live--the world thinks that is foolishness. The Jews expected a conquering Messiah who would defeat the Romans and re-establish Israel and the kingdom of David. Isaiah had told them the Messiah would be a suffering servant. 

How does that apply to me today. I find myself judging things based on the world's view--what is success? What is "happiness." What is truth? What is good? I need to seek the wisdom of God so that I will define "success," and "truth," and "good" and "evil,"  and "love" the same way He does. Satan has taken words that we thought we knew the meaning of and changed them to mean something else--he went into the dictionary and changed the definitions so that we now call evil good and good evil. Truth now means whatever I say it is. Love means I like my football team, my house, my car, my job. 

I need to recall daily what Paul says in 1:25--the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Lord, help me have Your perspective, understand Your ways and follow them. 

Blessings

Larry