Day 6

Ezra 1:1-2:70 KJV NLT
1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 KJV NLT
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. ¹⁹ As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

Today's lesson from Paul was great. He touched on so many topics from philosophers and the Jewish view on the Messiah. It is amusing to me how these same topics and debates still exist today.The great philosophers like Aristotle, though appearing to be all noble and wise were not necessarily seen that way in the eyes of God. Verse 20 quotes Paul in saying , " God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense." So does that mean that all of my philosophy classes that I took at St. John's U. was a waist of time?

Paul also attacks the Jews in saying they are looking for a better sign and are offended when he and the other Christians preach about Jesus. Paul reassures us that though it may seem foolish to others, God's plan will work out and come to pass . His wisdom is greater than any human . As we heard so much in the old testament, we must trust in God and his infinite wisdom and not in human wisdom. Human wisdom is not reliable. Verse 30 - God made Christ to be wisdom itself. Isn't that all we need?

Psalm 27:7-14 KJV NLT

Passage Psalm 27:7-14:

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

⁹Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

¹⁰When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

¹²Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

¹⁴Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Proverbs 20:22-23 KJV NLT

²² Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.”
Wait for the Lord to handle the matter. ²³ The Lord detests double standards;
he is not pleased by dishonest scales.

Okay , April has adopted a new mantra for every time she feels that someone has done her wrong. My mom used to say it was my Taurean nature that was spiteful. As I have gotten older my first instinct is to fight back, plot, and get even. But if I put my trust in God and trust in his wisdom, He will take of everything. I need to leave it alone and let it go. Too often humans feel they know better and want to handle the situation with any of the suggestions I made above. But we are looking at the situation and wanting instant gratification ( which is a quality I also possess). Life is not instant and we must also remember that there is a bigger picture that our wise God knows about.

Tomorrow's Reading
Ezra 3:1-4:23 KJV NLT
1Corinthians 2:6-3:4 KJV NLT
Psalm 28:1-9 KJV NLT
Proverbs 20:24-25 KJV NLT