Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (MSG) Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. 27 Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, 28 chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? 29 That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. 30 Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. 31 That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God." Today, as we wrap up this mini-series on “Why not us,” I want us to look at how the Message Bible brings these verses out.  God looked down from heaven, and He chose us in spite of us.  Th...

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV) 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. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." I love the way this verse speaks of us. Not many of us had everything going for us, but God still chose us for this great salvation!  As we continue to look at different people in the Word of God that may have had it, then lost it, and then got it back, I think of Joseph....

1 Corinthians 1:27 (AMP) [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. The next person that I want us to look at is Rehab.  Her story is found in Joshua 2.  You see, the Bible does not give the occupation of every person, but it does tell us hers.  Rehab was a prostitute, yet God sent the spies to her house, and I believe that the reason He did is because He saw that she had a pure heart; a heart of faith.  Here is what the Bible says about her: Joshua 2:1, “Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, ‘Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.’ So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.” Then we see in Hebrews that she is in the “Hall of Faith” with other great men and women of ...

1 Corinthians 1:27 (NLT) Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. We looked at King David yesterday.  Even though his father rejected him, God did not, and when it was time for Him to come to the next step, he was ready.  We see this in the great story of David and Goliath.  When David came to where the children of Israel were fighting the Philistines, he was immediately put down by his older brother: 1 Samuel 17:28-30 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle." 29 And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" 30 Then he turned from him t...

1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. When you look through the stories of the Bible, one thing stands out: God does not do things like the world does.  He operates the way He wants to, and nobody is going to tell Him differently.  We see this so clearly in the type of people that He uses.  He does not go for the high and mighty.  He goes for the low and humble, and makes them into who He wants them to be.  For the next few days, I want us to look at different people in the Bible, and see how God chose them and used them. King David:  David was a young man that watched his father’s sheep.  One day when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of his sons to be the next king of Israel, his father never even called him to come in to meet this great man of God.  Yet after Samue...

Daniel 12:3 (NKJV) Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Here is another reward for those who take the things of the Kingdom seriously.  Those who turn many to righteousness will be like stars that will shine forever and forever.  I like that, how about you?  You see, if we will just say that we will live for God and let His glory shine through us, it will bless so many people!  Then, throughout all eternity, we will be blessed as we see people in heaven, because of us. I heard a saying once and it has stuck with me: “You can either pay now and play later, or play now and pay later, but you will have to pay at some time in life.”  So you see, if we will do what we have to do now and work for the Kingdom and help many come to righteousness, we will enjoy the blessings of heaven forever! Some say, “Well all you are looking for is to get...

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. The judgment seat of Christ, for many, is going to be a glorious day.  All the work that we did for the cause of Christ will be rewarded.  Over and over the scripture brings out that Christ has crowns waiting for those who have been faithful to Him.  Before we look at these crowns, let me remind you again that we are saved by grace, and not by works.  These are rewards that we receive for what we have done for Christ while on the earth, and they will be with us for all eternity. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8 it says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only but also to all who have love...