God chose the weak of the world to shame the wise (and not so wise)

Martinius

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The readings for this Sunday and last Sunday (Jan. 29) really speak to us, as if they were written for and about our own times. Here is Isaiah from 2/5:

Isaiah 58: 7-10

"Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday."

and Zephaniah 2, from Jan. 29:

"Seek the Lord,
all you humble of the land,
who have observed his law;
Seek justice,
seek humility;
Perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the LORD’s anger."

Here is one of my favorites, from 1 Corinthians 1, a reading from Jan. 29:

"Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God."

It is like these people from 2000+ years ago are talking right to us. We see the meek, lowly, and despised, the powerless, standing up to the boastful and the strong, putting these words into practice in front of our eyes. The Word of God, which we believe these passages are, cannot be denied, cannot be thwarted. Not by any human or earthly power. And not by false accusations or malicious speech. The light of truth, of love, of faith will break through "like the dawn".
 

Godlovesmetwo

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Sometimes when my head is full of idealism, I go out in the world to change it. I see the weak and try to help them. But often they will smell my weakness straight away and take advantage of my enthusiasms.
 
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Martinius

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Sometimes when my head is full of idealism, I go out in the world to change it. I see the weak and try to help them. But often they will smell my weakness straight away and take advantage of my enthusiasms.
Still have to keep trying. That has happened to me too, but I have also experienced genuine thankfulness.

Hey, I think we two are the only ones on TLT right now. They say weekends are quiet, but....

I'm figuring all our friends are out at rallies and protests, or greeting refugees at the airports. You know, my refugee ancestors traveled for weeks on boats to get here. When I see what is happening today, I thank them with all my heart for their perseverance. If they hadn't done that, I could have grown up behind the Iron Curtain, dreaming of America. Instead, here I am. Thanks, family.
 
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stuart lawrence

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The readings for this Sunday and last Sunday (Jan. 29) really speak to us, as if they were written for and about our own times. Here is Isaiah from 2/5:

Isaiah 58: 7-10

"Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday."

and Zephaniah 2, from Jan. 29:

"Seek the Lord,
all you humble of the land,
who have observed his law;
Seek justice,
seek humility;
Perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the LORD’s anger."

Here is one of my favorites, from 1 Corinthians 1, a reading from Jan. 29:

"Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God."

It is like these people from 2000+ years ago are talking right to us. We see the meek, lowly, and despised, the powerless, standing up to the boastful and the strong, putting these words into practice in front of our eyes. The Word of God, which we believe these passages are, cannot be denied, cannot be thwarted. Not by any human or earthly power. And not by false accusations or malicious speech. The light of truth, of love, of faith will break through "like the dawn".
I cherish what someone once said:

A stuttering man with no confidence was chosen to lead the people of israel out of slavery to the brink of the promised land.
A lowly shepherd boy became their greatest King.
The Son of God was born in a manger in a stable.
And the worst of sinners was chosen to be the greatest preacher of grace this world has ever seen, and wrote half the books of the NT
 
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Martinius

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But I do get tired of the worldly wise and how they like to rub it in, how successful they are how clever they are and if I just applied myself more, I could be as wise as them.
Don't equate success with wisdom. Don't equate success with power or authority. Worldly wisdom is not the kind of wisdom that matters, unless you worship wealth and power.
 
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Martinius

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I cherish what someone once said:

A stuttering man with no confidence was chosen to lead the people of israel out of slavery to the brink of the promised land.
A lowly shepherd boy became their greatest King.
The Son of God was born in a manger in a stable.
And the worst of sinners was chosen to be the greatest preacher of grace this world has ever seen, and wrote half the books of the NT
God does have the habit of picking the least likely candidate and setting up the least likely scenario.
 
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Godlovesmetwo

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I really like this thread title marty.
Even we have to watch who we think of as "wise" on here. It may be an illusion.
If I can talk about my favourite sibling for a minute. My younger bro has a heart of gold. he has little education, works like a Trojan running a cleaning business, is a Pentecostal and is just living proof that you can be a light to the world for Christ. God shines through him more every day. he gets closer to God , the more I see him. Thy will be done. His will is slowly vanishing.
He has some worldly wisdom being a city dweller. But that is gradually being consumed by his Godly wisdom. He has always had a kind heart though , even before his conversion and being saved.
 
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Godlovesmetwo

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Worldly wisdom is not the kind of wisdom that matters, unless you worship wealth and power
No of course you're right. I don't want to be totally powerless either though. Be homeless without a job or income. No thanks. Being your own boss too is good for people my age.
 
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