1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (New International Version)
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (New International Version)
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Reflection:
This life in Christ is plain and simple when we don’t make it about ourselves but simply trust and obey the Lord. Apostle Paul’s heart for the Corinthian church was that their faith would not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power alone. Paul understood that his life in the Lord is merely “treasure in jars of clay” and that all focus must be on the treasure not on the clay jar that holds it. He was not the best speaker, but that was okay, because he knew it was not about him, but it was all about God. Paul lived out the Gospel with his life and proclaimed Jesus Christ and nothing else. We too are to live out the Gospel so that God will be glorified through us.
Response:
Let’s spend some time humbly coming before the Lord as we wrap up our week. Let’s pray that we will fully live out the Gospel depending on God’s power alone and not on our own strength. Let’s proclaim Jesus Christ and nothing else.
