"Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." I Corinthians 1: 20 - 21.This is a complicated set of words, so let me attempt to simplify these verses. What is being taught here is the fact that God chose what many would think is 'foolish', (dying on a cross) to frustrate our human intellect. He did not design a plan of salvation for the 'wise', but rather for those He's chosen to believe by faith. Those who do not have this faith are only frustrated, sometimes angry and bitter, by this foolish idea that Jesus is God and came to earth as a man so He could pay the penalty for our sin. In God's eyes the believer becomes 'righteous' and never suffers condemnation - Romans 8:1.
I've been traveling again, this time to New York City with son Steve to visit our daughter and her husband who are now living there. Poor dad got to stay home with three dogs. The apartment they've rented is right on the Hudson River with lovely parks and walkways to enjoy. They have a full view of the river which is a very busy place. There is constant boat traffic going back and forth, everything from luxury cruise ships to small sailboats. I think I like the little tug boats the best. They work so hard pushing big barges up and down the river, almost hidden, so small but able to do great things! They appear to have an invisible power, like the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do things we never thought possible!
There are so many wonderful sights in this very special city. Travel is good for the soul! As St. Augustine said, "Life is a book, and if you don't travel, you've only read one page". When my husband was making maps of Iran in the late 1950's, he bought a book of 'wisdom', The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam. It has lovely paintings. I like having this book and find interesting comments, such as....
"Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend, Before we too into Dust Descend; Dust to Dust, and under Dust, to lie, Sans (without) wine, sans Song, sans ginger and - sans End!"
I've quoted this passage just as it was written. Interesting? I think so. Sad too - Khayyam's idea of eternity is to lie beneath the earth (dust) without wine, song or spice (ginger) without end (forever!) Ouch! I'm glad I'm a believer and will drink wine, sing with the angels and be in the presence of God forever! But Omar was right in one thing....make the most of what life we have left. Our time on this earth is very short in terms of eternity.
We did the tourist stuff.....Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, incredible places to visit, Wall St. and the Federal Building where George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789. They have the piece of concrete where he stood......Americans should see this. The new World Trade Building is coming along but the whole project won't be finished until 2013. Our generous kids bought tickets to a couple of Broadway shows, 'Spiderman', which is unique and so much fun with Spiderman flying all over the theater, great show, also 'Mama Mia', love the Abba music, excellent show. Several times we ate at a little French restaurant very close to the apartment complex. In English - 'Our Daily Bread'. The photo was taken here. Of course I wonder if this name came from what we call the 'Lord's Prayer' in Matthew 6:11.
O.K., so what does 'foolishness' have to do with New York City. I'll try and connect the dots! We took a cab on Thursday to 5th Ave. intent on visiting the Guggenheim Museum. We found it's closed on Thursday! So, we decided to go to the Modern Museum of Art, also on 5th, but a good long distance to walk in warm, humid weather. We hailed another cab and after a few minutes the 'cabbie' asked where we were from. When I mentioned San Diego he said he knew people who went there to gamble at the big Indian Casinos. "Yes, many do", I replied, "but we don't go to the casinos." He told us he was from India near Sir Lanka. "Are you a Christian?" he asked. "Yes, I am" I answered. He told us that so many in India were becoming Christians and reading the Holy Bible. He said he'd read the whole Bible and was eager to share what he's learned and encourage others to do the same. He handed us a piece of paper. This precious man was so sincere in his faith and so wants others to come to believe. I hope he is aware that God's sheep will follow Him, and no other Shepherd. I reminded him of John 10. I know that unless God has given you the faith to believe His Word - you won't! It will sound 'foolish' and produce no results. We Christians can freely share our faith with others and trust God for the results.
I'd like to share what this spirit-filled young Indian man had written on the paper he handed to me.
HOLY BIBLE READING
Read the Holy Bible 3 pages/day (10 minutes)
Bible reading brings you closer to Lord Jesus, peace of mind and for all your problems you find solutions.
Many Christians have never read the whole Bible and therefore are unaware of the promises of God to them.
Before reading the Bible say a short prayer "Lord Jesus help me to read and understand the Bible." He will send you His Holy Spirit to guide and nurture you.
My style of reading is I begin by reading 2 pages from the old testament from the book of Genesis and one page from the new testament from the book of Matthew. And when I have a lot of time to spare then I read 20 or more pages. So within 6 to 7 months I have read the whole Bible.
After reading the first 10 pages, tell your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and strangers too that you are reading the Bible 3 pages/day. By doing this, you are spreading the Word and making others aware of the Bible. Tell at least one person a week.
If you need a Holy Bible, please check American Bible Society's website - http://www.bibles.com/
I could not have said this better. A beautiful testimony and the perfect way to come into a personal relationship with the God of the Universe, the One true God.
I did not like MoMa, the museum he took us to. They had a few famous pieces, like Van Gough's 'Starry Night', but also had some pretty weird stuff....not what I enjoy. However, I'm glad to have gone there. I knew that this wasn't about the Guggenheim being closed or any other reason - the Lord just wanted me to meet this dear man - a New York cabbie from India who so loved the Lord and sees the value of knowing God's Word. There is a reason for everything, and now, through this blog, hundreds will read his words.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." I Corinthians 1:18
Thank you Lord for this trip, time with my children, enjoying your world, and especially for people willing to share who you are, even in a New York cab.
