Daily Word

God's way of accomplishing His purposes is utterly incomprehensible and contradictory to the human

mind: He turns total disaster into glorious triumph and accomplishes His purposes not because of what we humans are but in spite of all we are!

The final triumph of Jesus Christ is the most contradictory and unpredictable realization in world history, just as was His death and resurrection: He died as the most outcast, despised and disgraced person ever, but rose again as the greatest of all conquerors in human history, with an authority and power that no one before that ever had or will have.

And thereby He continues to work in the same contradictory and wondrous way through us.

God triumphed through His seemingly eliminated Son and He will triumph through his often down-and-out and confused servants: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." (2 Cor.4:7-10)

The story of Joseph in the OT is a shining example of how God turned a series of disastrous and humiliating events into a blessing for the entire world at that time, as Joseph explained to his terrified and guilt-ridden brothers: “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Gen.50:19-20)

It is not through great, world-famous people and mega-churches that God accomplishes his most powerful works, Paul explains: "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should

glory in His presence.” (1 Cor.1:26-29)

One day we will all exclaim in amazement: God made "all things new" – in spite of all!