A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily
prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin -- we
conclude today a Lenten sermon series on Dr. Martin Luther’s Heidelberg
Disputation. This is Luther’s attempt to show what was wrong with the church in
his time. When Luther considered indulgences, a way to purchase forgiveness
from sin from the church headquartered in Rome, he was convinced he had to do something.
He knew that there was no biblical proof that a human being [the Pope] could do
what God said he would do for the faithful and that is forgive our sins. Luther
being a lawyer and a theologian started then what would become the Protestant Reformation
Epistle Reading- 1
Corinthians 3:18-23 English Standard Version (ESV)
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in
this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the
wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord
knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no
one boast in men. For all
things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or
death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are
Christ's, and Christ is
God's.
Devotion: Beware of
Wise Guys
In the text today Paul is telling the church that even
though we think we sinners are wise, it is mere folly to God. He is on an
infinitely higher plane of knowledge than man, after all He is the Creator.
As wonderful as we think we might be, we are simply the created. Paul is telling them not to
feel “owned” by strong church leaders. He pounds home the notion that they [the
Corinthians] belong to God and should not line up behind one or another of God’s
servants. Even though these leaders appear as wise to the Corinthians, he wants
then to turn away from attitudes that the world thinks are wise and to adopt
God’s viewpoint to be truly wise. I know that there are a whole bunch of things
in life out there that we just don’t understand: reasons for evil to exist,
Christian persecution and martyrdom, untimely deaths, deadly natural disasters,
among others. One glorious day, when we come face to face with our creator, we
will then gain the knowledge we so much want today.
We pray: “Thank
You, risen Lord, for saving us a place. Amen”
