November 30

1 Corinthians 1-4

I saw an interview with Bill Maher a couple years ago. He had a movie coming out called Religulous (combination of the words religion and ridiculous). In this movie, he interviewed people of different faiths (Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists) with the purpose of pointing out how "ridiculous" religion is. When he started to point out how silly he thinks Christianity is, I found myself agreeing with him (hear me out for a minute!). From the perspective of the world, religion is ridiculous. Faith in ANYTHING we can't see doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make sense that a God would be three persons in one. It doesn't make sense that God would step down into our world and die for us. It doesn't make sense that a good God would allow suffering in the world. It doesn't make sense that He is strong through our weakness. If you look at it through the eyes of the world, I agree, it sounds ridiculous.

1 Corinthians 1:18 says "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The problem with Bill Maher (a devote atheist) is he believes in his own wisdom, rather than God's. If we rely on our own understanding, it will lead us in the wrong direction. The message of the cross will confuse us, rather than bring us life. We must look with eyes of faith in order to experience the true wisdom of God. Verse 25 of 1 Corinthians 1 says "God's foolishness is wiser than man's wisdom." I have more confidence in God's foolishness than my own wisdom any day!

God's Own Fool
by Michael Card

Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind

For even his family said He was mad
and the priests said, "A demon's to blame";
but God in the form of this angry young man
could not have been perfectly sane.

When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes.
When we in our weakness believed we were strong,
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool;
for only the foolish can tell.
Believe the unbelievable;
come be a fool as well.

So come lose your life for a carpenter's son,
for a madman Who died for a dream.
Then you'll have the faith His first followers had,
and you'll feel the weight of the beam.

So surrender the hunger to say you must know,
have the courage to say: "I believe".
For the power of paradox opens your eyes,
and blinds those who say they can see.

When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes.
When we in our weakness believed we were strong,
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool;
for only the foolish can tell.
Believe the unbelievable;
come be a fool as well.