The Bible is full of paradoxes, that is, truths that seem contrary to what we would normally suppose or truths that seem to contradict one another. G. K. Chesterton maintained that paradox is truth standing on its head to attract attention. Here are a few of the paradoxes trying to attract our attention.We save our lives by losing them; we lose our lives by loving them (Mark 8:35).We are strong when we are weak (2 Corinthians 12:10), and powerless in our own strength (John 15:5).We find perfect freedom in being Christ's slave, and bondage when we are free from His yoke (Romans 6:17-20).We find more joy in sharing what we have than we do in getting more. Or, in the words of our Lord, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).We increase what we have through scattering it, and experience poverty through hoarding it (Proverbs 11:24).We have a new nature that cannot sin (1 John 3:9), yet everything we do is stained by sin (1 John 1:8).We conquer by yielding (Genesis 32:24-28) and experience defeat by fighting (1 Peter 5:5 c).We are abased when we exalt ourselves, but He exalts us when we abase ourselves (Lu. 14:11).We are enlarged by pressure (Psalms 4:1 JND) and shrunk by prosperity (Jeremiah 48:11).We can possess all things, yet have nothing; we can be poor, yet make many rich (2 Corinthians 6:10).When we are wise (in man's view) then we are fools (in God's sight), but when we are fools for Christ's sake, then we are truly wise (1 Corinthians 1:20-21).The life of faith brings freedom from care and anxiety; the life of sight brings fear of loss through moths, rust and thieves (Matthew 6:19).The poet sees the Christian life as paradox from start to finish:How strange is the course that a person must steer,How perplexed is the path he must tread;The hope of his happiness rises from fear,And his life he receives from the dead.His fairest pretensions must wholly be waived,And his best resolutions be crossed;Nor can he expect to be perfectly savedTill he finds himself utterly lost.When all this is done, and his heart is assuredOf the total remission of sins;When his pardon is signed and his peace is procured,From that moment his conflict begins. (Selected).

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"…as dying, and, behold, we live." (2 Corinthians 6:9)

Some in the church in Corinth were trying to make the Gospel intellectually respectable. Their preoccupation with the wisdom of this world made them sensitive to those aspects of the Christian message which were offensive to the philosophers.There was no thought of their abandoning the faith, only of redefining it so that it would be more palatable to the scholars.Paul came down hard on this attempt to marry the world's wisdom to God's. He knew only too well that the achieving of intellectual status would result in a loss of spiritual power.Let's face it! There is that about the Christian message that is scandalous to Jews and foolish to Gentiles. And not only that - most Christians are not what the world would call wise, mighty or noble. Sooner or later we have to face up to the fact that instead of belonging to the intelligentsia, we are foolish, weak, base, despised - in fact, we are nobodies as far as the world is concerned.But the wonderful thing is that God uses that message, which seems to be foolish, in saving those who believe. And God uses nonpersons like us to accomplish His purposes. In choosing such unlikely instruments, He confounds all the pomp and pretension of this world, eliminates any possibility of our boasting, and insures that He alone gets the credit.This is not to say that there is no place for scholarship. Of course there is. But unless that scholarship is combined with deep spirituality, it becomes a deadening and dangerous thing. When scholarship sits in judgment on the Word of God, claiming, for instance, that some writers used more reliable sources than others, it represents departure from the truth of God. And when we court the approbation of scholars like that, we are vulnerable to all their heresies.Paul did not come to the Corinthians with excellence of speech or of wisdom. He determined to know nothing among them but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He knew that power lay in the simple, straightforward presentation of the Gospel, not in occupation with knotty problems or unprofitable theories, or in the worship of intellectualism.

"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21)

The wisdom of God is a thread that runs all through the Bible. For example! "With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding…With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his" (Job 12:13<a href="javascript:%7B%7D" style="text-decoration:underline ;">; </a>Job 12:16). "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches" (Psalms 104:24). "The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens" (Proverbs 3:19). "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his" (Daniel 2:20). "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21)."Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom…"(1 Corinthians 1:30).The wisdom of God refers to His perfect insight, His unerring discernment and His infallible decisions. Someone has defined it as His ability to produce the best possible results by the best possible means. It is more than knowledge. It is the ability to use that knowledge properly.All the works of God express His wisdom. The marvelous design of the human body, for instance, bears eloquent tribute to it.And God's wisdom is seen in the plan of salvation. The Gospel tells us how sin's penalty is paid, God's justice is vindicated, His mercy is dispensed righteously, and the believer in Christ is better off than he ever could have been if Adam had not fallen.Now that we are saved, the wisdom of God speaks tender comfort to our souls. We know that our God is too wise to make a mistake. Though there are things in life that are hard to understand, we know that He cannot err.We can have utmost confidence in His guidance. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows pathways of blessing of which we are completely unaware. His way is perfect.Finally, He wants us to grow in wisdom. We should be wise unto that which is good (Romans 16:19). We should walk circumspectly, as wise men, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16). We should be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).

"To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever." (Romans 16:27)

For Reading and Meditation:      Romans 8:28-39What is God's great goal in the universe to which His energies are devoted? We have it in our text for today.The Living Bible puts this best and I have no hesitation in saying that although it is not regarded as a true translation (it is rather a paraphrase), its rendering of Romans 8:29 is one of the most exciting things I have ever read. This is what it says: "For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him  should become like his Son." God's great energy and wisdom, working on behalf of all Christians, is directed to making us like His Son Jesus Christ. Of course this purpose will only be fully realized in the world to come, but while we are here He is pursuing that selfsame purpose nevertheless. It is only when we comprehend this that we will be able to understand the purpose that lies behind all our trials and difficulties. Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good" (TLB) - must be read in connection with Romans 8:29. Because God is committed to making us like His Son, His wisdom goes to work on every trial that comes our way in order to bring from it something that will enrich our character and make us more like Jesus Christ. Infinite power is ruled by infinite wisdom. He could deliver us and make our lives comfortable but in a fallen world that is not the best purpose. Understanding this is crucial if we are to live our lives the way God desires.Father, forgive me that so often my goals are diametrically opposed to Yours. Help me bring my goals in line with Your goals. I shall need Your help to adjust. Whatever happens, keep me ever moving toward becoming more and more like Jesus. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>1 Corinthians 1:1-31</li><li>Colossians 2:3</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul describe the foolishness of God?</li><li>What is hidden in Christ?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son " (v. 29)

For Reading and Meditation:      Mark 15:16-39I cannot believe that God would write a law of "saving by sacrifice" within our hearts and evade it Himself. The psalmist asks: "Does he who formed the eye not see?" (Psalm 94:9). And Browning said: "He that created love, shall He not love?" We might add: "He that created sacrificial love, shall He not sacrifice"? The old Chinese scholar was right who, after listening for the first time to a missionary telling the story of the loving sacrifice of God through His Son on the cross, turned to one of his pupils and said: "Didn't I tell you there ought to be a God like that?" The leaders of the world's religions stumble over this. A leading Muslim said recently during a television debate: "A God who would stoop and suffer is not perfect." And a Hindu commented: "If Brahman would suffer He would be unhappy, and if He were unhappy He would be imperfect, and if He were imperfect He would not be God." The cross spells out the message that God is prepared to take into Himself the suffering caused by sin and, indeed, to take on Himself the very sins of the ones He created. No other religion can conceive of such a thing. The cross raised on Calvary is but a reflection of an inner cross lying in the heart of God. Through it we see that at the center of the universe is redeeming love. No greater discovery could be made or will be made than that - in earth or in heaven. It is the ultimate in discoveries. O Father, I see that if self-giving love is the meaning behind the cross, and the meaning of the universe, then it must be the meaning behind my life too. May the cross work itself out in all my relationships from this day forward. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>John 19:1-15</li><li>1 Corinthians 1:1-23</li><li>1 Corinthians 2:2-8</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What was central to Paul's message?</li><li>How was the message of Christ's crucifixion viewed?</li></ul></div></div>

"... when the centurion ... saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!' " (v. 39) 

For Reading and Meditation:      1 Corinthians 1:18-31Another of the chief differences between Christianity and the world's religions, and something which adherents of other faiths find a major stumbling block, is the cross, which humbles all pride and dashes all hope of self-salvation. It also speaks of the tremendous and uncalculating generosity of God in providing for us a salvation that is without price. Kagawa, the great Japanese Christian, said that it was in the cross that he found Christianity's greatest uniqueness. Listen to his words, spoken some time before his death in 1960: "I am grateful for Shinto, for Buddhism and for Confucianism. I owe much to these faiths. Yet these three faiths utterly failed to minister to my heart's deepest needs. I was a pilgrim journeying upon a long road that had no turning. I was weary, I was footsore. I wandered through a dark and dismal world where tragedies were thick. Buddhism teaches great compassion ... but since the beginning of time, who has declared 'this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many unto the remission of sins'?" Islam, of course, proclaims the mercy of God. Each chapter of the Qur'an is introduced by the words "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful." But they do not tell of a costly and historic display of God's mercy as portrayed by the cross and spoken of in each Gospel. In Islam, Allah is merciful to the meritorious, those who pray, give alms, and fast in Ramadan. In Christianity God is merciful to sinners not because of their good works but because of Christ's sacrifice for them on the cross. Gracious and merciful Lord, through the cross I see right into Your heart. And what I see there sets my heart on fire. I see Love bleeding for me, saving me, delivering me. Now I can never be the same again. Thank You, dear Father. In Christ's Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Galatians 6:1-14</li><li>Ephesians 2:14-16</li><li>Colossians 1:20</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How did Paul view the cross?</li><li>What is at the heart of the message of the cross?</li></ul></div></div>

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing ..." (v. 18) 

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:21

 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

1 Corinthians 1:21 KJV

1 Corinthians 1:21 KJV

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