1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) (NRSV)
Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) on biblegateway.com
Chapter 2When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. Verse 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Verse 3And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Verse 4My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, Verse 5so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
Verse 6Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. Verse 7But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. Verse 8None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Verse 9But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him"- Verse 10these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. Verse 11For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God. Verse 12Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. Verse 13And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Verse 14Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Verse 15Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny. Verse 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Devotion
A friend of mine once told me that he tried to live in a Christ-like way because he "may be the only Bible someone has to read." That comment has stuck with me ever since I first heard it. Dusty wasn't someone that appeared to be holier-than-thou or who lived with any arrogance or presumption of his own perfection. Rather, he was a person that tried tirelessly to love all and to be love to everyone he encountered. His motivation came from his understanding of the call that Christ gives us.
In the reading from 1 Corinthians today, Paul also articulates his motivation for the way he lives. It is very important for him to keep the message simple. Rather than using "lofty words or wisdom" he focuses on the crucified Christ and the power of the living God. While Paul often seems to lose his audience in rambling sentences and concepts, the focus here is on what God does in Christ...period. What has God done for you? Do people around you know? If not, maybe they should.
Prayer
God of majesty and might, you alone are our completion. Fill us with your love and compassion and embolden us to share what you have done for us every day. Give us words to speak and ears to hear your message and your hope. Amen.