Devotion: 1 Corinthians 1:28-29

1 Corinthians 1:28-29 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

When you first look at today’s verse, it may seem a little confusing. What is Paul talking about? Things that are despised… things that are not… nullify the things that are… huh?  Let’s see if we can make some sense out of this mash up of words that have left us confused.

Let’s start with nullify. Define that and then move on to what is and what is not. Nullify means to make something legally void, invalid, or ineffective, often by counteracting its value or force. In the Bible it is slightly different, but overall pretty much the same. Nullify in the Bible means to render void, invalid, or powerless.

So we now have an idea of nullify and can see how that applies in the phrase – to nullify the things that are. We nullify (render invalid and powerless ) the things that are (things that already exist and are already established). So who would we want to nullify and render powerless? At that time, the church in Corinth was very prideful and cliquish. Everyone had their little groups and they liked their gossip. Paul would render pride and prestige powerless.

How would God do this? He would use the lowly things, the despised things. He would use the people who are humble and overlooked or cast aside because of their faith and life choices. He would use the weakest to humble the proud and strong. And He has done this throughout history. Look at Moses, a criminal who had fled after murdering an Egyptian, a man with a speech impediment who begged God not to use him… yet he led the Israelites to freedom. Or look at David, a shepherd boy who liked music. He became a great king and defeated many of his enemies in battle. Or Saul. Saul started out as an influential Pharisee who was determined to destroy the Christian faith. Yet he became the great man of faith we know now as Paul, a man who wrote a majority of the New Testament and who served as a missionary, traveling through the Gentile world to make disciples of the people who were not “chosen” by God – you and me.

Wow. That turned out to be longer than planned, so thank you for hanging in there with me to the end. What does this mean for us today? It tells us that God can and does use anyone, from the lowest of the low to the highest – so long as they are humble and obedient to His will. He uses them to do many things, including possibly nullifying someone of greatness – something we need to be prepared to see if it involves us. God can use you, whether it be nullifying the proud or encouraging the humble. You just need to be ready to serve.

Prayer: Lord, Here I am. Send me. I want to be used for Your will, to do what You want me to do, hard as it is or easy. I am willing to do whatever You lead me to do. I am Yours. Amen 

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