Is the message of the cross foolishness or power?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

Ever since it happened, the crucifixion and the resurrection have been points of contention in the minds of millions, if not billions, of people. It is either looked upon as the most amazing gift and the most amazingly simple way for God to restore a lost creation to Himself, or it is looked upon as a childishly simple lie and a fairy tale. Ironically, both camps recognize the simplicity involved. Those who profess a faith in Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross understand the Gospel, or good news, in such a way that they realize God made it simple to receive salvation. All that you have to do is repent and ask Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior. Those who look upon the cross as foolishness cling to the old saying, “If it looks too good to be true, it is!” They also often think that it doesn’t make sense that one man could save me by dying on a cross. What they fail to recognize is that one man was not just any man. He was the Son of Man. He was fully man and He was fully Lord.

I realize that there are many possible shades between these two ends of the spectrum, but in essence most can be included. Even those who profess that there is no God fall into the foolishness category. Many of those who profess this think that any and all concepts of a god, let alone the one true God, are all signs of an uneducated mind. They fail to see the evidence that is right in front of them. In all of their so-called wisdom, they fail to see the obvious.

Do you recall your life before you came to faith in Jesus?

Think about your attitude towards those who professed a faith in Jesus. If you are like most people, you probably bought into the stereotypical characterization of believers that the world wants you to believe. You probably had a tendency to look at all believers with a very jaded perspective. Now that you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, that characterization has hopefully been long gone. Looking honestly back at these periods in your life, which one was the foolish period?

The cross divides many aspects of this world. It divides time – B.C. and A.D. It divides families. It divides societies. Nothing in all of human history has been the source of so much division. It all comes down to a simple matter of perspective.

Is the message of the cross foolishness or power?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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How do you see the cross?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

It is human nature to think that something is foolish if we do not understand it. For those who do not like football, it is foolish. For those who do not like racing, it is foolish. For those who do not know and trust Jesus, the Gospel is foolish. Only when you truly know and understand something does it take on meaning for you.

Think back on your life. I am sure that there are things in your life that you have grown to think differently about. Many of these things probably meant that you had a change of heart about them. Jesus is probably one of those! Before you fully understood what Jesus did for you, it was probably difficult to accept the fact that God loved you so much that He sent His only Son to suffer and to die so that you could have grace and mercy. That is true with many people. They do not understand and they see what happened at the cross as simply a foolish act with no importance to them.

How do you see the cross? Is it in foolishness or is it in thanksgiving?

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Does the world think of you as a fool?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

This seems to be coming more and more true in today’s society. When I was in high school, it was still possible to pray in school. The ruling had been passed down, but many school systems were still having prayer time or a moment of silent prayer in the morning. The movie, “Oh, God” was about to be released and it had many churches up in arms because it presented God in a different way than traditional church theology. The movie turned out to be not what they thought, but it still caused a major controversy. People did not even dare to think of homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle because the Bible plainly states that it is wrong. Today, we have media celebrities openly saying things such as “F___ Jesus.” For the most part, they get away with it. They are looked upon as trendsetters and open-minded. They proclaim that Jesus and the church are foolishness and that anybody who believes is a close-minded bigot and a hate monger.

What has caused this drastic change? Could this be the time that is written of in 2 Timothy 3?

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
(2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV))

Don’t give in to the ways of the world. Hold fast to your faith.

There is a saying that it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

When you open your mouth, does the world think of you as a fool because you speak of Jesus? When you speak of the cross, do you speak boldly and confidently about the grace that the cross brings?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you willing to be labeled a fool?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

I love God’s sense of humor. There are so many subtle things that we take for granted or we completely overlook. Sunday, April 1, 2012 was just such a thing.

For those who may not understand what I am talking about, that particular Sunday was Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of what the church refers to as Holy Week with the culmination on Easter Sunday. I find it ammusing that Holy Week began on April Fool’s Day. This day, set aside by the world to play tricks and pranks, is often a day of some interesting “gotcha” moments.

I find it interesting how the world looks upon the cross as foolishness, and how the world thinks that a faith in Jesus is a big joke. This year, the week that the Body of Christ holds as the most holy actually had its beginnings on a day that society has labeled for fools. How many actually realized that it was April Fool’s Day? I honestly believe that the church was more focused on the yearly celebration that we know as Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem exactly as prophesied, to begin the series of events that would lead to his crucufixion and resurrection.

I will be honest with you.

I would rather be labeled a fool by this world for my faith in Jesus and the message of the cross. I find it an honor to have begun Holy Week as a fool in the eyes of the world. For the rest of this week, and hopefully all of my life, I will be proclaiming the message that the world sees as foolishness. I will proudly proclaim what I know to be the power of God.

How was you April Fool’s Day? Was it filled with “gotcha” moments or was it filled with the power of God in celebration of the events leading to the cross?

Are you willing to be labeled a fool?

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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