Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Opening Scripture

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are the source of all truth, wisdom, justice, and love. Lead me in your paths today. Help me to constantly rest my life upon the eternal foundation of your loving presence. Save me from hurry and worry, haste and confusion, wrongful desires, and the snare of evil. May your Holy Spirit enlighten, instruct, and guide me as I follow the Lord Jesus this day. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 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. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Reflection  

If the situation in Corinth weren’t so serious, you could almost imagine Paul smiling a bit as he spoke today’s passage to his scribe. “Before you get too full of yourselves, look around.” I love the way Eugene Peterson translates this text in The Message.

“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of ‘the brightest and the best’ among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies’?

“That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, ‘If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.’”

And Paul reminds them that this posture of humility is just what he modeled when he was with them. “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” Compared to the great orators of his time, Paul’s preaching was unimpressive. Yet, it was his content – not his delivery – that was life-changing!

Paul didn’t want his listeners to be impressed with him. He wanted them to be impressed with God and what He had done for them. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Flourishing Habit

Character and Virtue

Character and virtue are key components of flourishing, and the pursuit of wisdom absolutely involves the development of character and virtue.

“Wisdom” is defined as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. And while there’s certainly some value and benefit in earthly human wisdom, it’s no substitute for eternal godly wisdom. Here are some differences:

Earthly wisdom is characterized by human reasoning, self-interest, and a focus on temporal success. Godly wisdom is characterized by divine truth and a focus on eternal blessings. Earthly wisdom is often driven by pride, greed, or jealousy. Godly wisdom is motivated by humility, love, and faithfulness. Earthly wisdom promotes personal gain. Godly wisdom promotes personal integrity.

The Book of Proverbs has a lot to say about wisdom. In the first nine chapters, Wisdom is personified as a righteous woman offering guidance to the foolish. “Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate, ‘How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?’” (Proverbs 1:20-22).

Of course, the foundation of true wisdom is reverence and worship of Almighty God. “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment” (Proverbs 9:10). And God wants everyone to be wise! “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

The life-long pursuit of godly wisdom can be tied to “seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:1-6).

Godly wisdom is not abstract or theoretical intelligence. It is Scripture-informed, Spirit-inspired, God-honoring insight that guides daily life. It starts with taking God seriously! Godly wisdom involves moral discernment, self-discipline, and spiritual maturity that is gained and strengthened over time.

Are you growing in godly wisdom?

Are you partnering with God to develop your character and virtue?

“For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you” (Proverbs 2:8-11).

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!