Epiphany 5 / OT 5
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
So that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
-- 1 Corinthians 2:5
Paul offered some very unsettling advice for all of us who read all the books on programs for making our churches successful. He refused to depend on the pragmatic and rational wisdom that the world admires. "My speech and my proclamations were not with plausible words of wisdom...." He contrasted such worldly wisdom with a spiritual wisdom that transcends our temporal understanding. "... These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depth of God." If one reads this in isolation from the exceedingly practical advice that Paul offered on many church issues, one could slip into a spiritual self-righteousness. Yet all practical wisdom must be filtered through an understanding of the guidance of the Spirit. Paul began with a core belief. "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Our dependence on practical wisdom for success and survival was nailed to the cross. No matter how successful we are in church building, it is empty unless we are guided by God's Spirit. "Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for such gifts are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." So how are we to pierce the cultural wisdom that surrounds us and listen to God's Spirit? Paul built on Isaiah 40:13 but interpreted it as referring to Christ. "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." It is as if we continually ask that if our decisions are patterned after the mind of Christ, we will discern the spiritual wisdom to guide us (Philippians 2:1-5). Sometimes this will lead us into taking apparently foolish actions like Jesus did in going to the cross.
-- 1 Corinthians 2:5
Paul offered some very unsettling advice for all of us who read all the books on programs for making our churches successful. He refused to depend on the pragmatic and rational wisdom that the world admires. "My speech and my proclamations were not with plausible words of wisdom...." He contrasted such worldly wisdom with a spiritual wisdom that transcends our temporal understanding. "... These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depth of God." If one reads this in isolation from the exceedingly practical advice that Paul offered on many church issues, one could slip into a spiritual self-righteousness. Yet all practical wisdom must be filtered through an understanding of the guidance of the Spirit. Paul began with a core belief. "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Our dependence on practical wisdom for success and survival was nailed to the cross. No matter how successful we are in church building, it is empty unless we are guided by God's Spirit. "Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for such gifts are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." So how are we to pierce the cultural wisdom that surrounds us and listen to God's Spirit? Paul built on Isaiah 40:13 but interpreted it as referring to Christ. "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." It is as if we continually ask that if our decisions are patterned after the mind of Christ, we will discern the spiritual wisdom to guide us (Philippians 2:1-5). Sometimes this will lead us into taking apparently foolish actions like Jesus did in going to the cross.
