No Resumé Building Needed

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  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.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord'" (I Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV).

Imagine getting a letter from a close friend who, upon hearing of your recent job offer, wanted to offer his congratulations.  And in this letter your friend reminds you that you weren't one of the smartest guys in college and that you really didn't have a strong resumé.  He says that is probably why you were given the job.  You would be much easier to train and would be loyal because your success would be as a result of company training rather than your own expertise.

In essence, this is what Paul wrote to the Corinthians.  He was reminding them that their status as Christians, as part of God's family, was not based on their own accomplishments, on their resumé, but on God.  And if there was to be any boasting, it was to be about God's grace and power.  

It is easy in our world to get caught up in "resumé building."  We are told to garner work experience in our fields of education.  We are encouraged to seek out volunteer experiences to "pad" our resumés with good works, showing prospective employers that we will be conscientious workers. And when it comes time to look for a job, we put a lot of stock in our resumé.  

That may work well in the job market, but the principles governing your selection for the Kingdom of God are totally different.  Instead of choosing the most qualified, God most often chooses those without the proper credentials.  For example, look at the 12 disciples.  Not a theologian among them, not even anyone with a formal education.  Instead, they were men of low standing, unskilled in the ways of the ruling class.  Yet, of all the people of the world, the Lord chose them for the most important job in history.  Even Paul, the most educated man mentioned in the New Testament, was not chosen without first being humbled by divine intervention.

The tone was set with Micah's prophecy: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2 NIV).  And that prophecy was fulfilled some 700 years later in a feeding trough outside an inn.  Jesus did not come into our world in spectacular fashion.  And it was by design.  God was saying to us then, and is saying to us now, the trappings do not matter—whether we are smart, good looking, talented, popular or rich.  

Today, recognize what matters is that we humbly offer our lives to Him, just as he humbly offered His Son to us.

© Jim Musser 2012