1 Corinthians 1
"For consider your calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor 1:26-29).
Our world is full of boasting. We celebrate those who are wise, powerful, and strong. But God hasn't chosen the wise, powerful, and strong. He has chosen the foolish, the weak, the low, and the despised. It is usually not the rich and powerful who believe in Jesus but the poor and weak, the forgotten and downtrodden. The men at the Otago Corrections Facility in Milton are much more interested in Jesus than the well-off in Dunedin and Mosgiel.
The words "chosen" and "called" are found often in this chapter. God's calling and election are corporate. He has chosen the humble, not the proud.
Lord God, help us to be humble before you. If we brag, may we brag only in you (v. 31). Teach us what true humility means. May we become less so that Jesus may become more. Let us focus our thoughts on Jesus crucified, which is and always will be foolishness to the world.
Father, forgive us for boasting about ourselves in your presence. May we never do it again. May we humble ourselves before you and your Son, because everything we have comes from you as a gift. You deserve all credit for everything. Thank you, Father, for your amazing grace to us. In Jesus' name, amen.
- Jeff Coleman