Feb 18

What has been said so far about how we come to know God has largely been negative, about what not to do: not using the powers of the human intellect but the power of God in the Holy Spirit. Now, however, Paul switches to the positive. After laying the groundwork about how not to go about telling others about God, he is ready to proceed with explaining the right way to do it.

God is not against using our minds to know him; after all, he gave us this precious ability to think. He just wants us to know clearly that this gift is secondary. It has its place and we should use it, but only as an aide, not the primary method. For there certainly is a deep wisdom of God available to us and God wants us to have it. We just need to distinguish between this type of godly wisdom and the seeming wisdom of the world.

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing" (1 Cor. 2:6).

Remember how in the Thought for the Day from yesterday's devotion it was said that a faith that relies on the wisdom of men will die because all men must die, but that a wisdom that rests upon the eternal Word of God will live forever? Paul alludes to that fact here, as he reminds us that the rulers of this age are coming to nothing. Thank God, we have a wisdom in Christ that cannot die.

Scripture for today: 1 Cor. 2:6
Thought for today: God is the ultimate reality, therefore the wisdom that comes from him is deep and for the mature.
Prayer for today: Lord, I thank you for giving the deep wisdom that comes from you in Christ. Now continue to mature me so that I can understand that wisdom.

FEB 18