We're so glad you're joining us for today's encouragement from our daily bread.

I'm James Banks, and I titled our reading today, God's Unexpected Ways.

The pastor squinted over his sermon, holding the pages close to his face so he could see the words.

He was extremely near-sighted and read each carefully chosen phrase with an unimposing monotone voice.

But God's spirit moved through Jonathan Edwards' preaching to fan the revival fires of the First Great Awakening

and bring thousands to faith in Christ.

God often uses unexpected things to accomplish his perfect purposes.

Writing about his plan to draw wayward humanity near through Jesus loving death for us on a cross,

in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul concludes,

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. The world expected divine wisdom to look like our own and to come

with irresistible force. Instead, Jesus came humbly and gently

to save us from our sins and so became for us wisdom from God, that is, our righteousness,

holiness, and redemption. The eternal and all-wise God became a human baby who would grow to adulthood and suffer and

die and be raised to life in order to lovingly show us the way home to him.

He loves to use humble means and people to accomplish great things we could never

achieve in our own strength. If we're willing, he may even use us. Today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is a fascinating passage from 1 Corinthians chapter 1,

1,21 through 31.

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.

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God,

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