Finally

And I, when I was with you brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and much trembling, and my speech, and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

After many months of saying I would do it...I finally did.  The above passage is 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and for some time I have intended to memorize it.  Today I did...I completed it...and hopefully will remember it tomorrow.


It's words are very meaningful to me and I am praying will have much power in my life.  As someone who frequently gets a chance to speak to people about God, life, sin, salvation, etc. it is very easy to become proud and self-confident in "what you know".  Combine this with a desire to be smart, wise, and important...and it can be a dangerous mix of ingredients.  As I seek to follow the Lord and grow in His wisdom and grace, I realize more and more just how important the above words are to me.

You see I--Jeremy, really like to get credit for stuff, and especially "God stuff".  It is what it is, and that is who I am.  Yet as the years come and go, I more and more realize how insignificant I really am in this equation and how much what I think doesn't really matter.  What does matter is what Paul says in the passage above.

I decided to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and much trembling...

So this prideful, fairly confident fellow, and former Marine continues to learn that in God I don't really have to matter.  What is even more incredible is that my weaknesses and failures are exactly what God want's me to embrace so that in that humble place, He can work through me and whatever great thing He might want to do.  As I stop and dwell on that truth...it's attainability seems elusive to me.  Yet, the promise and the hope that I don't have to "be" something, frees me to be all that God might want me to be.  It is "contrarian thinking" for sure, but if and when I am finally able to get there...I think it is going to bring this life much joy and fulfillment and my communion with God will grow in its sweetness.

And as far as the memorizing goes, I recommend doing it.  It takes a little time and effort, but there is power in it and God will work in us as we do it.