In the world of investments, there are strict regulations on so-called ‘insider trading.’ That is when a person uses information not available to the general public to purchase or sell securities to gain profit, often at the expense of those who are without his ‘inside’ information. Just about every group and/or profession has ‘insiders,’ people with access to power or perks. How those who are on the outside can slide into envy of those who are inside!
Here’s a wonderful fact: God invites you and me to be ‘insiders!’
Knowing Him, walking in His favor, is not a privilege reserved for a certain race, sex, or ethnicity. You don’t have be tall, beautiful, born into a family with connections, or an Ivy League grad to enjoy insider status with the Lord. You only need a heart that hungers to know Him, a mind that is open to His Spirit, and faith to receive the promises through Christ Jesus.
The ancient church in the city of Corinth struggled with a problem that is still around. People possessed by pride fought for privilege and power. Everybody wanted insider status so they could enjoy the esteem and perks that came with recognition. Does that temptation gnaw at you? Here’s what the Lord said to that church and He is still saying it to us.
"We preach Christ crucified: … Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:23-31, NIV)
In the Roman world, there was no fate worse than crucifixion. A Roman citizen could not be crucified, no matter his crime! It was a way to intimidate conquered people, a cruelty handed down to those without power, to ‘outsiders.’ So this passage begins with a reference to the lowest, the most despised. God chose to exalt His Son on a Cross. In the minds of most, it was an act of utter foolishness. But to the faithful, the Cross was the point of salvation, the entry point to the blessings of the Kingdom. Through the obedience of Christ on the Cross, those willing to believe are able to receive the insider blessings of heaven!
The passage goes on to teach us that our insider status provides amazing insight. "We … speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. … God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. … We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1 Corinthians 2:12, NIV)
Are you taking advantage of your insider status?
Are you using the wisdom available to you, living maturely and with insight?
A final thought is this: We are blessed to be a blessing! God has not called us into a special club so that we can sit apart from the rest of humanity, looking out of our place in His grace with pride and exclusivity. Our calling is to take the blessings, to use the status, to ennoble others by inviting them to share His grace. Yes, those of us who are ‘in Christ’ are ultimate insiders who use our connections to reach out to our world.
___________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment