To Put To Naught The Things That Are

1Corinthians 1:26-29
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Paul said the above sentences to the church in Corinth which he planted several years ago. Now he returns to strengthen them and encourage them to continue in the work of God. The verses above were spoken to the Christians and not mere Christians but Christians who have been working and keeping the church strong and growing. They were pastors of that time, they were shepherds, deacons, disciples, teachers and those of the like.

They may have become weak in their faith. Just like you and me.

After working for many years and seeing that their achievements were nothing to boast about, they probably felt that they had not done anything and it would be better for them to give up and return to their old lives. This was what the leaders of the church would have felt before Paul came and encourage them.

That is why Paul said, “Brother, think of what you were when you were called.”

If Jesus was a man of the world, he would have chosen the wisest men to be his disciples. Jesus would have gotten the most influential men to be with him. He would have worked with the rich and famous. He would have chosen the elite of his day to accomplish his mission on earth. Instead, Jesus chose simple fishermen. He chose those that were considered uneducated and illiterate, lacking in “social status”, wealth and worldly distinction of any kind. These simple men were the ones Jesus chose to build the kingdom of God here on earth.

When the people of Israel, God’s chosen generation, were slaves in Egypt, God did not choose a king with an army of tens of thousands to rescue the Israelites. Instead God sent a single man. This man was a murderer before and an exile and he was not eloquent in his speech, he was just a simple man. However, God showed the world that a single man with an available spirit could change the history of a whole nation.

Throughout the Bible, we read of the Lord choosing and using the weak things of the world to confound and shame the wise and powerful. God loves to reveal his awesome power through humble vessels. And He is still doing so today.

Do not let the enemy to convince you that you are not good enough to be used by God. Do not let the enemy tell you that you are too weak, you can’t speak well, you are not good with people, you are shy, you are not rich enough and you are not talented enough or not influential enough. Let me tell you that the lesser you are, all the more better it is because God will be able to use you more to demonstrate what He can do with weak people like you and me. If only we would lay down our lives at the foot of the cross and fully yield our life to God, we would not be able to see what God can do.

God does not look at the things men look at for men looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart.

God uses the "nothings" to put to naught the things that are.