When Heaven’s Wisdom Looks Upside Down
Mercy sakes alive, friend, now you scoot that there ol’ seed catalog plum off the chair and git yourself settled where the breeze can find you up here on this ol’ front porch. There’s an ol’ turkey buzzard perched over yonder lookin’ like he’s sho’-nuff’ the chairman of the county plannin’ commission, and that there seems real fittin’ because human beings have always been mighty confident about our own wisdom. We can downright explain molecules, map galaxies, and build machines that answer questions before we’ve even finished askin’ ‘em. Then, somebody hurts our feelings, and suddenly we’re as confused as a lil’ ol’ goat starin’ at a see-through screen door.
Paul told the Corinthians somethin’ mighty humblin’ in 1 Corinthians 1:18–25. This ol’ world looked at the message of a crucified Savior and called it sho’-nuff’ foolishness.
God downright called it salvation.
That’s the great reversal of the Gospel. Human wisdom says, “You gotta climb higher.” But Jesus sho’-nuff’ stooped lower. Human pride says, “Prove yourself.” Grace says, “Receive what you could never earn.” The world admires mighty power that conquers. But God displayed power through a cross that looked like defeat until Sunday mornin’ came.
1 Corinthians 1:25 tells us, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” It plum reminds us that even what people might call God’s “foolishness” is a whole lot wiser than our finest thinking.
Education, science, and learning are sho’-nuff’ wonderful gifts, but they were never meant to downright replace the Giver. They can tell us a whole lot about creation. But only God can tell us why we were created and where lastin’ hope is found.
And Jeremiah 9:23–24 says, “The wise should not boast in wisdom but boast in understanding and knowing the Lord.”
That’s sho’-nuff’ wisdom with roots.
You don’t have to understand everything God does to trust everything He is.
Father, keep me from becoming so impressed with human wisdom that I stop listening for Yours. Give me humility to trust You when Your ways confuse me and courage to follow Jesus when the world calls faith foolish. Teach me to value knowing You above merely knowing more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now, gather your things together and head right on toward whatever today has waiting for you, friend. A lil’ ol’ gopher can dig a mighty impressive tunnel and still not know where Tuesday went. An ol’ peacock may look mighty important, but feathers ain’t no kind of wisdom. Keep right on learnin’, keep right on thinkin’, and keep right on askin’ questions, but you gotta be lettin’ God have the final word. Heaven ain’t never needed our cleverness to improve upon truth.
With joy,
Gwen
