November 15

Nov 15, 2022

I Corinthians 1:27
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.

Biblical Insight
In ancient Israel, Egypt, Babylon, and other places, many wise sayings come from proverbs associated with great leaders. While people needed wisdom to survive in these important areas, the weak often possessed great wisdom. Women in ancient cultures were associated with wisdom, and we often see them saving their cities. A woman mortally wounded the pretender king Abimelech in Judges 9. In II Samuel, the wise woman of Abel Beth-Maacah saved her city by throwing down the head of the rebellion leader Sheba. While many considered women weak in the ancient world, women shamed the strong, just as Paul told us in I Corinthians 1:27.

Daily Devotion
Sometimes we confuse knowledge and wisdom. It has been quipped that knowledge knows a tomato is a fruit; wisdom knows it doesn’t belong in a fruit salad. Our society is packed full of opportunities to learn new things. We are surrounded by tutorials and step-by-step instructions on everything from changing the alternator in the car to making the perfect pie. However, there are no tutorials to know when to listen to someone who just needs to verbally process an issue and when we should offer solutions. This is a perfect example of using wisdom to encourage.

It can be difficult to simply listen to a situation and not instruct when we feel we clearly know how to fix the ordeal. Many times people just need to know someone cares enough to listen to them without judgment or condemnation. When we offer a shoulder to cry on, the opportunity arises to share the truth of the gospel at a later date. Wisdom teaches us to show how much we care before we show how much we know. Think about someone in need of encouragement today and reach out with compassion to bring encouragement.