Gospel Reflections #840: We have nothing on our own

1 Corinthians 1:19 "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and nullify the discernment of the discerning."

We often take pride in the knowledge and wisdom of this world.

God's wisdom is not built upon the knowledge and wisdom of this world. Though God's wisdom is not recognized in this world, this reveals the limitations of human ability.

Moreover, worldly wisdom and cleverness often hinder knowing God. Therefore, God uses methods that dismantle worldly knowledge, wisdom, and cleverness so He can rightly reveal Himself and we can understand Him.

This is so we do not boast in our own strength.

Our abilities too are gifts from God. Scripture also states, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

God makes us realize we have nothing of our own.

He also makes us realize that everything we need is given by God.

God teaches us that a life clinging to our own experience, effort, achievements, status, or authority leads to tragic results.

And God teaches us how peaceful and joy-filled a life clinging to Him and entrusting everything to Him truly is.

If we could cleanly abandon our former selves, we would live lives resting in God's grace. But since we cannot even do that, we are trained to confess to God, to ask of God, and to entrust ourselves to God. Through this, the portion of ourselves within our hearts grows smaller, while God's portion grows larger.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.