1 Corinthians 1:26 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 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; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
We see our calling. The Greek word translated as “see” in this passage means, among other things, “to have (the power of) understanding” or “to know by experience” according to Thayer. It is a great blessing to understand that our calling is from God and not man. The longer we walk (know by experience) our calling, the more steadfast we become in our confidence that it is of God.
In the world, we want people around us who are wise; men who are able to come up with good ideas. We choose people who have the strength and ability (might) to put their ideas into motion. We look for people who have the means to back those plans and see them to fruition (noble). However, our calling causes us to see that this is not necessarily the way God works.
Again we find those powerful words “But God.” First of all, we see who God has chosen. He has chosen foolish, godless (see Strong’s definition of foolish) men and taught them (us, me) to serve Him. He has called feeble, impotent men to walk in the light of His love and grace. He has chosen those without kin (see Strong’s definition of “base”) to be His family (1Pe 2:10).
God has a reason and a purpose for His choosing. He calls those that the world holds in no esteem. In doing so, He completely undoes the world’s thinking about how things should be. He removes our reliance on those in the world who would seem to be worthy of our trust and places is squarely in Him.
Our carnal nature causes us to often think more highly of ourselves than we should. We like to boast of our accomplishments and hold in high esteem those who have amassed wealth and reputation in this world. God calls us in such a way that no flesh can boast in His presence. He strips us of our self-esteem so that we may be able to properly esteem God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
May we fall down and worship Him for His great grace and love that allows us to see our calling!