Devotion for April 2nd

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”