September 29, 2024

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3
Meditation Verses: 2:4-6

Thought

Paul didn't depend on wise words or polished speech, but on the power of the Spirit. The Spirit worked through him to confirm him as a man who was backed by real power. He preached the Gospel, a message of truth and God's wisdom, but the natural man couldn't understand it. So it was confirmed by the Spirit with demonstrations of power. Paul's desire was that no one would be converted by human wisdom but with powerful evidence of the reality of God.

Application

The simplest demonstration of the Spirit's power is the belief and transformation of people from the uninspiring preaching of Paul. And I can have hope of that. But there was more at work in Paul's ministry, and I would love to see that in my efforts. All I have control over is to preach and teach God's Word faithfully and diligently, even if uninspiringly. Most churches want a dynamic preacher; Paul wouldn't have made the cut. What God wants is a faithful preacher of His wisdom; and that's what the church and the world need too. If miraculous signs should begin to accompany my preaching, I would be delighted. But what I can control is my faithfulness to preach the whole counsel of God, even the things no one wants to hear. Then if someone believes and obeys, that will be an amazing testimony of the power of God, not the persuasiveness of my preaching.