daily bible readings

Someone once told a parable of God’s wisdom compared to our human wisdom. Picture a master feeding his dog in the morning. As the master goes off to work, the dog does his thing around the yard. The dog has no idea what the master does and how he does it. The dog cannot comprehend the master building a nuclear powerplant or programming the necessary bits to make it work. Yet, the master does it anyway.  The idea of the parable is that when it comes to God, we are like the dog. Our master goes off to His work and we have no idea what He is doing or how.

God’s wisdom is so great and so beyond our comprehension that He can destroy the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent through the foolishness of the cross. God can run rings around the wisdom of mankind. Human wisdom is much like the dog’s wisdom in the starting parable.

The world, in all of its wisdom, did not know God. The world, did not want to know God. The world did not see any relevance in God. In almost every sphere of life, human wisdom has sought to eradicate God. Western naturalism, as one example, has argued that even though a god may exist, he is irrelevant for day to day existence. Western naturalism has argued for centuries that only the physical matters. It has caused today’s society to be obsessed with the physical and ignorant of the spiritual. Science, as another example, has proposed theories, like evolution, that expressly remove God from involvement in the world. With evolution being accepted as increasingly true, despite evidence to the contrary, God has been excised from schools, universities and all learning institutions. The world in all its wisdom sees anyone who accepts a creator God, and worse, worships Him, as imbecilic and archaic. 

But God, rather than revealing Himself in blazing glory, is pleased to bring salvation to those who believe in Jesus through the foolishness of the message of the cross. The message that the world in all its wisdom rejected, has become the central message of salvation for all who believe.

What the “wise” world sees has to be considered. As God visits salvation upon the fools who trust in the Gospel message, the world sees transformed lives. The world sees the power of God at work in broken lives. The world sees love growing. The world sees righteousness increasing. The world sees sin losing its power and righteousness ruling hearts and minds. The world sees the miracle of the gospel in all its power and glory working in individual hearts and lives. And the world has no explanation.

PRAYER

Adoration

· Adore the Lord that His foolishness is wiser than mankind’s wisdom and that His weakness is stronger than mankind’s strength.

· Adore God that no plan of His can be thwarted or held back.

· Adore God that His wisdom is pure and perfect.

Confession

· Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness

Thanks

· Thank God that He loves you and has called you into His kingdom, having dealt with all your sins through the foolishness of what was preached, namely the Gospel.

· Thank God that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Supplication

· Pray for wisdom for your church leaders.

· Pray for wisdom for the Small Group Leaders and ministry leaders in your church.

· Pray for wisdom for all the parents in your church as they raise their families in the love and fear of the Lord.

· Pray for wisdom for the singles as they face unique struggles and temptations.

· Pray for yourself to be wise in all things.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What do these verses teach you about God?

2. What do they teach you about Christians?

3. What do they teach you about sinners?