Focus
Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything other than God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.
Read
1 Corinthians 2:1-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
Yet 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. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, 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”—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Reflect
This passage reminds me of the first time I led someone to Christ. I really had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. I didn’t know how to pray for the person. I was a brand new Christian myself.
It started when I came into work. We had the customary greetings, “Hey, how are you? What did you do this weekend?” I told him I went to church and had something of a conversion experience. We didn’t talk about anything, in particular, the rest of the night. My friend clocked out and left. About an hour later my shift was over, I clocked out and headed to my car. My friend was sitting in his car, apparently waiting for me.
“Hey, I wanted to ask you about the Jesus thing?” “Umm…what do you mean,” I responded. He began asking questions and all I said was, “I don’t know. I just went to church and I had an experience of Jesus. I believe that He died for our sins and that He rose from the grave. So, best I can tell you is, come with me next Sunday.” He did. He is now a Christian.
Now that I have been a pastor for over a decade I can reflect on times when I thought I had the greatest words of wisdom for my congregation and I noticed the empty stares looking back at me. Then, there were times when I just didn’t know what to say, and the power of the Spirit came through and spoke to the heart of those who looked to me. I am grateful that God has given us the power of the Spirit for this great task of proclaiming the Gospel.
Pray
Lord, give us Your words. Give us Your Spirit. Give us a great desire to share the Gospel to all the people you would put in our path. In Christ, we ask these things. Amen
Go with God!
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