1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (NKJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
When Paul arrived in Corinth, he didn't stand before the people with flowery, worldly wisdom. That is, he didn't come trying to make the people know how smart he was; how learned he was; how respected he was in the community. His motives weren't to draw attention to himself in any way as he shared the gospel with them. Quite the opposite: physically, he was weak, fearful, and trembling. Emotionally, he was drained. On top of that, he sounded as bad as he looked and felt.
What he did, though, is a great model for us. He shared Jesus and Him crucified. That's it. He made sure Jesus received all the credit and all the attention. Refusing to elevate himself or his 'ministry,' he made Jesus the main focal point.
It's important to guard against taking the credit for the anything God has done in your life. Although God does choose to use men and women in wonderful and tremendous ways, we can never get too attached to His instruments. God alone gets all the glory for great things He has done.
Paul comes to Corinth weak, sick, and just not feeling well. Instead of making himself the focal point, he takes people to Jesus with his words and his actions. We would do well to follow his example!
By Grace,
Pastor Ed
Response
I am engaged to be married and my future wife and I are believers. We have both been damaged by previous divorces and by the grace of God, He has brought our paths together. We have lived together for a few months and have a wedding date set in the next few months. The Holy Spirit has been convicting me ever since we moved in together, as I knew it was sinful, and needless to say I've been hard headed...until your message this morning finished me off. I must take action to honor God and my future spouse. Thank you for sharing the truth with me.
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