1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For example, consider your call, brothers. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view, not many were powerful, and not many were born with high status. But God chose the foolish things of the world to put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are strong, and God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to do away with the things that are, so that no one may boast before God. But because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us the wisdom from God, namely, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. God did this so that, just as it is written, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Applying God’s Word for today: Struggling to be good enough.
When you don’t meet the minimum requirement to do something, it is frustrating, like going to the fair and not quite being tall enough to ride the rides. The world likes to put things just out of our reach; we can see what we would like to have, but we cannot quite reach it.
We are fortunate because God takes what is weak, foolish, and lowly to do away with the world’s minimum standard. Looking at ourselves, we see that on our own there is nothing good in us. Isaiah wrote that all our works are as filthy rags. Paul writes in Romans: “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” There is nothing in us that should appeal to a holy, perfect God, except His love for us.
He sent His Son to redeem us. Jesus did so by suffering and dying on the cross, then rising again three days later. He sent His Holy Spirit to sanctify us—set us apart as holy—so we have faith in Christ. Faith in Christ means we trust and believe that He bought us from the bondage of sin. Faith trusts that Jesus has redeemed us, and being redeemed means we are once again restored to a right relationship with the Father. All this is a gift of God, so our salvation was accomplished and given to us by God; it is received by faith in Jesus; so we boast in the Lord.
Dear Lord God, when we look at ourselves and our sins, we realize we are nothing. Yet, as in creation, You made everything from nothing. In Your grace and mercy, You have made us into something even greater—Your adopted children and heirs of heaven. Thank you for loving us so much. Let us boast in You so that others will also know Your love for them. Amen.
Knowing and trusting what God has done for you, taking you just as you are—saved by faith alone. So that by believing in Jesus, you are forgiven and set apart as His children, so that when this life ends, you will be with Him forever. How can you keep that to yourself?