Christianity Oasis Forum

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August 25 | Bible in a Year: Psalm 119:1-88; 1 Corinthians 7:20-40
Surprised by Wisdom


READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18–25
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Oh, the depth of the riches of the
wisdom and knowledge of God!
Romans 11:33
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“It seems like the older I get, the wiser you become. Sometimes when I talk to my son I even hear your words coming out of my mouth!”
My daughter’s candor made me laugh. I felt the same way about my parents and frequently found myself using their words as I raised my kids. Once I became a dad, my perspective on my parents’ wisdom changed. What I once “wrote off” as foolishness turned out to be far wiser than I had thought—I just couldn’t see it at first.
The Bible teaches that “the foolishness of God is wiser” than the cleverest human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25). “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness” of the message of a suffering Savior to rescue “those who believe” (v. 21).
God always has ways of surprising us. Instead of the triumphant king the world would expect, the Son of God came as a suffering servant and died a humbling death by crucifixion—before He was raised in unsurpassable glory.
In God’s wisdom, humility is valued over pride and love shows its worth in undeserved mercy and kindness. Through the cross, our unconquerable Messiah became the ultimate victim—in order to “save completely” (Hebrews 7:25) all who place their faith in Him!
By James Banks
REFLECT & PRAY
Heavenly Father, I praise You for the wisdom of Your ways. Help me to trust You and walk humbly with You today.

When have God’s ways left you confused? How does it help to know His ways are not our own?

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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia, sometime near the end of his three-year ministry there (around ad 55-57). According to author Ray Stedman in his commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians, the wealthy seaport city of Corinth was a “hub of trade” and a resort city, but it was also “a city of moral depravity—a place where prostitution and other forms of sexual immorality were rampant” and where people “worshiped Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sex.” And so, the Christians in the young church Paul had planted in Corinth during his second missionary journey faced a culture at odds with the gospel. In this letter, Paul offers guidelines and encouragement to the struggling new believers caught between their culture and living for Jesus. He addresses issues such as disunity and immorality, and he talks about what it means to be free in Christ. Alyson Kieda