Someone Like Me | 1 Corinthians 1:27-31

Welcome to Real Life. Meet Barry Brophy!

When Peggi invited me write a guest post, I prayed and spent time listening to the Holy Spirit. He reminded me of the earlier calling He had placed on my life, “Write what you know.” These verses from 1 Corinthians illustrate God’s work in my life:
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;
God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong.
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised thing—
and the things that are not—
to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
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.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
(1 Corinthians 1:27-31)
While delving into the vast contextual riches of this passage would take many weeks, I wish to transcribe the meaning into a simple focal point:  God chooses to use the most unqualified people to share His Gospel message. This very process turns the wisdom, knowledge, and strength found in humanity upside down in confusion.

It is God's redemptive power through Christ Jesus that can take a person enslaved to the most heinous of sin, redeem him or her through belief in the Gospel message and repentance of sin, and then use their experience to help others escape from that sin. The Bible is full of stories in which a person’s crippling weakness was turned into strength by the power of God. They were then able to accomplish God’s purposes (all historically documented) by what most would consider foolish, weak, and unwise methods. And based on this powerful history of events, God still uses this same method today.

As a teenager, I suffered from periods of deep depression that left me purposeless, emotionally numb, and suicidal. I viewed my existence as insignificant; l was just another ship tossed to and fro on the waves of life. The bitterness in my heart left me a demeaning, critical person. But, God delivered me. Today, He uses me to encourage those battling depression as well as pray for their deliverance. The cage of depression which once incarcerated me now empowers me to offer the hope found in Christ to others trapped in its destructive cycle.

As I minister to others, I often pray for wisdom. We serve a gracious God. He freely imparts His divine wisdom to us for ALL circumstances because of the accomplishments of Jesus Christ's redemption of humanity. I find God's kingdom described beautifully in this passage as one where:

Everyone has a place of importance.

It is God's nature to use the most unexpected and unqualified of people—someone like me—to share His Gospel message!

     _____

Barry Irwin Brophy is a New Zealand/American Christian author and blogger who currently resides in Washington State. He publishes an artist blog called Creative Christian Moments which examines up and coming Christians in the arts community. Brophy is a regular member of the prayer team at his church and participates in many multi-denominational church activities encouraging unity and partnership between Christians.

Comments

  1. Pat GarciaMay 16, 2015 at 5:46 AM

    Hi,
    First, let me say that you have chosen two of my many favourite scriptures, and there is not one week that goes by when I don't meditate on them because they give me strength and keep me moving down what is sometimes a very difficult path.
    I believe that not only does God choose the most unlikely person, but that He empowers us through a process that takes you through the fire of life before He sets you out there. When I look at one of my favourite mentors in the Bible, Abraham, I see that he went through a process before he held his son Issac in his arms; Joseph went through a process before becoming the second in command in Egypt, David went through a process before becoming King of Israel, and I can go on and on. Each person who says yes to God goes through a process or may I say, they walk through furnaces that tries their faith. Not that God wants us to fail, but because He wants us to succeed. You're so right, Everyone has a place of importance in God's kingdom. There is no little place or big place. If we read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we see that. The owner expected each one of his servants to make something of the talents they had been given.
    Thank you so much for what you have shared. Your article got me to reflect on my own interpretation of these verses and how my interpretation agrees with yours.
    All the best.
    Shalom,
    Patricia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggi TustanMay 16, 2015 at 7:11 PM

      Hi Patricia,
      Thanks so much for your thoughts. I especially appreciate your attention to God's "process" in our lives. Yes, I am a work in process and my process (and yours and Barry's and each person's) is precious to God!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 19, 2015 at 4:57 PM

    Thanks for the comment Pat! Great follow up. I'm glad these verses inspired you to add to the post. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!

Popular posts from this blog

Autumn in the Neighborhood | November 2017

Image
Welcome to Real Life . It's autumn in my neighborhood. Chilly. Dark at suppertime. Winter is on its way. Before creation naps in blankets white and grey, the leaves wave their vibrant farewell! He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)
Read more

The Revelation of Jesus Christ | Revelation 1

Image
Welcome to  Real Life . I think I know someone. Then something happens - a crisis or joyful event - and I see that person in a whole new way. The Apostle John knew Jesus. He spent years at Jesus’ side. Then one day on the island of Patmos, John saw him in a whole new light.  John on Patmos John was one of twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He was also one of Jesus’ closest friends on earth. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, John became a leader in the early church. He wrote five books of the New Testament: the Gospel of John ; a trio of letters titled 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John ; and the book of Revelation . The Gospel of John is his narrative of Jesus’ life. In it, we learn that Jesus is more than a prophet. He is God himself, the Creator of the world and everything in it, who put on flesh and came to earth to save us. [1] John wrote in order that we may believe Jesus is the Christ and by believing have eternal life. [2] In 1st John , we discover that “God is lo
Read more

In Loving Memory of My Sister!

Image
Welcome to Real Life . Like it or not, death is a part of real life. Theresa (Salva) Keeler September 8, 1957 - July 7, 2023 Theresa/Terre/Tess [1]  was my sister, my friend from the moment of my birth until her last breath. I don’t know how to live without a sister. I don’t want to learn. Yet, in the midst of my sadness, I am incredibly grateful God blessed me with a sister. In many ways, Terre and I were black and white. We did not look like sisters. We grew up sharing a room, and drove each other crazy with her messiness and my neatness. She was Miss Morning Sunshine. I crawled out of bed and growled. Bone deep, however, we were the same. Our foundation stones were cut from the same quarry. We were the daughters of Slovak immigrants who were fiercely proud of both their US citizenship and their Slovak heritage. Our father arrived on this continent in his thirties with little more than the clothes on his back. Our childhood was simple and carefree. My mother did not drive, so we walk
Read more