GOD’S FOOLISH THINGS

GOD’S FOOLISH THINGS

1Cor. 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

Did you know that God’s ways are not your ways. We think that The Lord would want to save important people, smart people, or talented people to use for His purposes. More often than not, as Paul says, God chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Kathryn Kuhlman often spoke about herself as someone born without talent. She always said that The Lord was not after “golden vessels or silver vessels”‘ she said He was only looking for “yielded vessels.” That puts a whole new spin on things. When The Lord uses anyone for His purposes, He receives more glory depending on the weakness of the vessel. As far as He is concerned, the weaker the better. Here is how George Whitefield saw it.

“And now, where are the scoffers of these last days, who count the lives of Christians to be madness, and their end to be without honor? Unhappy men! You know not what you do. Were your eyes open, and had you senses to discern spiritual things, you would not speak all manner of evil against the children of God, but you would esteem them as the excellent ones of the earth, and envy their happiness: your souls would hunger and thirst after it: you also would become fools for Christ’s sake. You boast of wisdom; so did the philosophers of Corinth: but your wisdom is the foolishness of folly in the sight of God. What will your wisdom avail you, if it does not make you wise unto salvation? Can you, with all your wisdom, propose a more consistent scheme to build you hopes of salvation on, than what has been now laid before you? Can you, with all the strength of natural reason, find out a better way of acceptance with God, than by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it right to think your own works can in any measure deserve or procure it? If not, why will you not believe in him? Why will you not submit to his righteousness? Can you deny that you are fallen creatures? Do not you find that you are full of disorders, and that these disorders make you unhappy? Do not you find that you cannot change your own hearts?”

As Whitefield points out, natural wisdom or natural good works have no benefit in the kingdom of God. The only wisdom or righteousness that is acceptable before God is the wisdom of God and the righteousness of Christ which can only be received by faith. Think of some of the people God used in the Bible; Moses the stutterer, Amos the farmer, Peter the fisherman, Rahab the harlot, and Paul the persecutor of Christians. These don’t sound like the most promising candidates for success in life, but they were chosen of God. Maybe there is hope for us after all.