Daily devotion – The wonder of God’s faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 1:26–31
“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…that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
The theme of the recent International Pastor’s Conference Helen and I attended was “How to Remain Faithful.”
Ten pastors shared on this subject, opening their hearts about the call of God on their lives and the storms and trials they and their churches have endured through the years. Many described painful, even traumatic moments. Yet one testimony shone through them all: God has always been faithful—and He still is.
Several admitted that in the hardest seasons they thought of quitting. But it was the call of God, not human strength, that enabled them to continue as His vessels.
We too face times when despair whispers that we have reached the end of our rope. Yet here is the wonder of belonging to Christ: in our deepest trials, God can use us the most. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:9–13 that the apostles were treated as fools, weak, dishonored, hungry, and even homeless—yet in their brokenness they became a living testimony of Christ. “Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat.”
This week, choose to be God’s broken vessel, that His glory—not ours—may shine through your life. As we grow older and pass through storms of affliction, our roots in Christ are not weakened—they grow deeper and stronger.
So let us not look at the temporary sufferings around us, but at the unseen eternal glory ahead.
2 Corinthians 4:18
“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”