Oct 22 2024

Afternoon Bible Verse

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

Afternoon Bible study

It is common for human beings to think that everything can be explained. If we don't know the answer to a question, we should be able to ask someone who does know or look it up online. Yet there are some questions that even the most erudite scientists cannot answer with certainty—questions for which only God knows the answer.

Back in the days of the Old Testament, the Jews thought they knew what to expect from their coming Messiah. They had heard stories about the Messiah for generations. They knew He was coming to save His people. They imagined what being alive during that time would be like and how this wonderful savior would come to Earth.

But the Messiah didn't arrive in Jerusalem with the expected pomp and fanfare. And except for a few shepherds on a hillside, no one even knew He had arrived at all. He came to young, scared parents in an animal stable.

That's what the Jews found so confusing… the Messiah's arrival didn't look or sound like anything they had imagined. It may sound unbelievable to us, but it made perfect sense to God.

It's also hard for us to believe that all of humanity can be restored to God through the single perfect sacrifice of Jesus—but that's how God did it. Because, through this plan, we cannot earn our salvation through what we do.

We may not be able to understand this, much less explain it to anyone… but we can trust that God knew what He was doing all along. And during every moment of our lives, we have the ability to thank him for that by glorifying him.

Afternoon Prayer

Oh Lord, if only we could remember that we don't have all the answers— far from it. Please help us as we go about our lives, making mistakes and forgetting that you have the answers to everything we need to know. Thank you for always being with us and especially for our blessed salvation through your son, Jesus Christ. In His name, amen.

Oct 21 2024

Yesterday Afternoon's Bible Verse

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. :

Yesterday Afternoon's Bible study

We all go through times when we just don't know what to do. We're facing something that requires more wisdom and know-how than we have. For many, YouTube has become the go-to place for knowledge of the unknown, including tips and tricks to do and fix just about anything.

While the Internet truly does have a massive wealth of useful information, there are still many things that can only be understood through the lens of God's wisdom. But we often overlook His Word—even though we're seeking answers that He could provide.

Godly wisdom comes in many different forms. Sometimes God reveals it while we're reading His Word; passages that we have read before (and may have forgotten) now seem to leap off the page to grab our attention, as if God is saying, "Look at this!" And indeed, maybe He is.

Other times, God sends people into our lives to bring His wisdom through their own personal experiences. God's wisdom is there if you know how to find it. And it often comes in the most profound ways and through the most unlikely people.

Like James says in this afternoon's verse, all we need to do is ask God. And that can be a humbling experience. Asking for wisdom acknowledges that we don't have the answer… but we know Who does.

James also says that God gives wisdom liberally. If we ask Him for it, God will pull out all the stops to give us that wisdom.

So when we are willing to accept God's wisdom—even if it doesn't make sense to us—then our faith in Him will grow even more.

Yesterday Afternoon's Prayer

Dear Jesus, I need your wisdom more now than ever before. And I know that only wisdom from you is truly reliable and trustworthy. I cast aside anything that is not from you, and I ask you today, Jesus, to liberally give me the wisdom I need to seek you first and not last. In your name, amen.
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