E=MC2

I think we are all familiar with this famous equation. It appears pretty simple, but the ideas that resulted from this simple concept were the seeds of what became the incredible power in nuclear bombs and nuclear power.

In a similar way, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 about the simple, and what the world considers “foolish” plan, of salvation through Jesus Christ, but that is the most powerful and amazing expression of God toward people.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:23-25, “So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense, But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.”

Dear Lord the magnitude of your simple plan, saving us for eternity by accepting what you did through Jesus Christ, dwarfs any discovery we, as people, can make. Help us appreciate the simplicity and the power of this for ourselves and share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have you ever noticed that it is necessary to have humility in order to learn something new? If we think we know already, we will not accept what someone else is trying to teach us.

We must accept that we don’t know, in order to learn.

Psalm 25 tells us the same, David says in Psalms 25:8-9 “The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.”

Dear Lord, help us have the humility to learn your way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a scene in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indiana Jones is standing on the edge of a gorge. He, is looking at a diagram in an ancient book that indicates a bridge should be there, but there is no bridge. After studying the ancient document, he believes he has it figured out, that the only way to find the bridge is to step into the abyss, and the bridge will appear. Without seeing, he must act, and he does.

Paul writes in Hebrews 11:1, “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” TLB

In the same way, Jesus’ teachings in the Bible are our ancient map, and in order to see the support God promises us is to step forward in faith.

Dear Lord, it is very difficult for us to take that first step of faith that we know you want us to take, whether, volunteering in our church, inviting a friend to worship, witnessing to someone in need, or putting our tithe in the offering plate, we all have a step we could be taking. Give us the courage to take the step and experience the joy of trusting you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Imagine you are hiking in the mountains. Your objective is to reach the top of a peak you can see several miles away. Between you and the objective are a few smaller hills and ridge lines. As you set out on your hike, you can easily see the objective as you go, but as you get closer to the smaller hills and ridges they block out your view of the peak, your objective. However, as you climb up the smaller hills, just as you are reaching the top, you again get sight of the objective.

This illustration parallels our lives on earth, as well as our Christian lives. When we get started, we can see our objective, though far off in the future, we see where we are going, but as we encounter the struggles and obstacles of life, they can block out our view of our real objective. We must keep moving forward even though, temporarily, we cannot see our objective, we know it is on the other side of the obstacle. Just as we are overcoming the obstacle, we remember our objective and see it again a little closer than before.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Dear Lord, we know our ultimate objective is eternity with you. Help us remember to keep our focus on this objective as we overcome the troubles we see day to day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We have all seen examples of two kinds of people in politics, sports, business, and all walks of life. My simple descriptions are, first, the wise and humble, and second, the self-centered self-promoter.

James writes about these differences in James 3. In verse 13 he writes, “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” I am sure you have seen these types of people, the incredible athlete that credits the whole team for the win, even when he or she carried the team, or the CEO that successfully leads his or her company through difficult challenges, but shuns the spotlight.

In comparison, you have seen those who are constantly blaming problems on others, taking credit for all the success, and complaining that they are not being treated right, or paid enough. In verse 17 James describes this other type, “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” We have all seen the results of these types of people in failing businesses, cities, and governments.

We need to strive to be the wise and humble type. God promises to help and to give us wisdom if we ask. James writes, in James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.”

Dear Lord, Please give us wisdom and understanding, and the humility to use it for your glory and not ours. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.