Job 5:13
He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
The very Spirit of the Godhead protects us from the evil that desires to kill, steal and destroy our faith. Be still and know that greater is He in us as believers than the evil that seeks to destroy us. We belong to God. This is a day the Lord has made. I thank you God for the ordinary days that You have given me. In this miraculous gift of life i rejoice. Carla
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. NKJV
The wisdom of this world does not coincide with God’s wisdom, the foolishness of Christ crucified (1:18–25). Paul quotes from Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11 to urge the members of the Corinthian church to humble themselves.
The Stoic literature of the time, which the Corinthians would have known, often spoke of the wise man as possessing everything.
Everything God has done in the church, and in the entire universe, benefits all believers. There is no place for foolish boasting or competition among Christians. The NKJV Study Bible
Paul quotes Psalm 94:11 to disparage human wisdom.
Paul’s instruction echoes Jeremiah 9:24. The Corinthian believers must no longer identify themselves by the ministers they prefer, because it is causing rivalry and strife in the community.
Paul reminds them that the ministers actually belong to the people being taught, not the other way around (verse 22). Paul subverts the Corinthians’ allegiance to individual leaders (being “of” a particular leader) by reminding them that they are all “of Christ” (verse 23). Faithlife Study Bible
Psalm 94:11
The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.
1 Corinthians 1:20
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
2 Corinthians 10:7
Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s
Here's the deal: We all practice a finely honed proficiency at imagining our life residing in an event or experience or occasion other than the one we are in right now.
That proficiency is ratcheted up when our circumstances are, shall we say, less than ideal. And with irony, we also carry it into the moments where we do feel alive and grateful.
There are those lucky moments, when we recognize and embrace the here and now. But I’ll be, if we don't want to bottle it up and sell it on e-bay. (This makes me think of the Transfiguration story in Mark's Gospel. Peter is so worked up he wants to build three condos and call it permanent). Or worse yet, we feel compelled to evaluate or measure each experience, as if a superlative is a requirement for its enjoyment. Somehow, ordinary is not enough.
Take a deep breath. And take to heart Jim Elliot’s reminder, “Wherever you are, be all there.”
Here's what I do know.
While waiting for perfect, we pass on ordinary.
While waiting for better, we don't give our best effort to good.
While waiting for new and improved, we leach the joy right out of this, or any, moment.
In a culture of lottery winners and bigger and louder and faster and newer and shinier, ordinary gets lost in the din. Ordinary, like watching dusk settle while reading on the patio, counting nuthatches when they return to the feeder, enjoying homemade jam on homemade bread (a sweetness that makes you believe in heaven) and finding delight in a book about Einstein and a Rabbi. Ordinary, yes. But a day without the heaviness of expectation, worry or fear.
And I do find the wisdom of May Sarton fitting (and her sentiment is mine), "There is a slight lifting of the air so I can smell the earth for the first time, and yesterday I again took possession of my life here."
I like Richard Rohr’s take, “The world insists that we are what we do and achieve, but contemplation invites us to practice under-doing and under-achieving, reminding us of the simple grace and humility of being human.”
My friends, let us embrace the reminder that our reality is not determined only by circumstance, and that we do have agency. Yes, the capacity, and power, to choose.
It matters. It makes a difference.
Sabbath Moments
No comments:
Post a Comment