all that truly matters

Sunday, August 4th, 2019 

God chooses.
He chooses and uses.
His economy is the up-end of ours.
We look for measures of capability and experience; of success.
He looks for surrendered hearts and willing feet.

It looks foolish like failure to leave positions of effective ministry leadership, to embrace the inevitable distance on countless treasured friendships, to invest years of time and resources,
and it all for a mission that leaves us currently looking and feeling rather empty -handed.

Foolish like failures.

Is this the terrain of abandonment?
{Ours of Him, or His of us, or both?
the Deceiver's voice maliciously whispers on repeat.}

Or is this rugged path contouring the edges of a deeper surrender?
"For consider your calling, brothers..."
Surrender to His call led us into that season, and the call to surrender is all we hold as we walk out.

Perhaps the only One to whom we don't appear foolish is God Himself?
Perhaps this is all that truly matters.

For consider your calling, brothers: 

not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, 

not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; 

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 

God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, 

to bring to nothing things that are, 

so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, 

righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 

so that, as it is written, 

"Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 1