Paul’s Message of Wisdom

2 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. ² For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. ⁴ And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. ⁵ I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

⁶ Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. ⁷ No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. ⁸ But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. ⁹ That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

¹⁰ But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. ¹¹ No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. ¹⁴ But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. ¹⁵ Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. ¹⁶ For,

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

 

Good morning everyone. Let me share a devotional I read, food for thought today from verse 9.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
-1 Corinthians 2:9

Do you ever wonder about the future?

In our world today, it can seem hard to imagine that better days are ahead. The constant flow of negative news and anxiety-inducing headlines can make it feel as though things are getting worse every day.

Where do we find our hope that God will make things better? Is He even listening?

When writing to the Christians in Corinth, Paul reminded the believers to stand firm on the promises that God was with them. As followers of this resurrected man Jesus, these believers found themselves hated, ridiculed, and persecuted by the religious leaders as well as the political rulers. The stress and fear were causing the believers to begin to lose hope and fight with one another in their own church!

When hope seemed all but lost, Paul wrote a letter to remind the Corinthians that their true hope for the future was found in something that had already happened in the past. Reaching back to the prophet Isaiah, Paul connected God’s promise of surprise deliverance with the reality of Jesus’s fulfillment in His life, death, and resurrection. When we know what God has already done in defeating death through Christ, nothing about our future can scare us!

When we approach Scripture, we find pages full of promises from a God who knows our fears yet reminds us of His love. In Jesus, we find what should be our biggest fears have been overcome by a never-ending love. With Jesus’s death on the cross, God reminds us that we could never imagine all the amazing things He has in store!

Questions For Reflection on 1 Corinthians 2:9

#1 Are you someone who is naturally anxious for the future? Write down some of the things that you often fear may or may not happen.

#2 If God has prepared great things for those who love Him, how does that change how you view the future? Does it cause you to live with more boldness and courage?

Prayer

Lord God, no eye has seen, no ear has heard of the great things that You have for those who love You. I love You, Lord, and I long to see and hear those amazing things that you have in store for me in my future. Thank you for Jesus Christ, who came and made a way for me to truly love you so that I can live with boldness knowing that I have a future in heaven with You!

God bless everyone! See you tomorrow.