The power of God

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord. We thank God for His goodness, His faithfulness, His tendermercies and lovingkindness.

Primary Text

“And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2v4-5 (NLT)

“But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.” 1 Corinthians 2v4-5 (MSG)

Paul here is explaining his approach and intent when he went to speak to the people in Corinth. He says he did not use clever or persuasive speeches, and child of God, you do not need to do the same either. You don’t have to have a perfectly made up speech, rife with human wisdom and intelligentsia in order to speak to people about the Lord. As 1 Corinthians 1v1-2 (MSG) says “You’ll remember, friends that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did – Jesus crucified.” Hallelujah. Why does Paul do this, so that they would trust not in human wisdom, but in the power of God – that it’s not because of the wonderful speech that one speaks that made us have faith in God, but because of the power of God.

Supplementary Text

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4v7 (NLT)

Prayer

Father, we thank You so much for this day and for Your Word. Father, we ask that You will anoint us with Your Holy Spirit and with Your power, that we may go about doing good and spreading the good news of who Jesus is, His death and resurrection and all that it means for us in Jesus name, amen. Holy Spirit of God, we rely on You this day to help us in Jesus name, amen.