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.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29
There is an old Chinese story about a group of very refined elderly gentlemen who met regularly for a tea ceremony. They took turns hosting, and each made an effort to find something new or exotic that would please and impress the others. When it was the turn of the oldest and most respected member of the group to host, he put on a great show. Tea leaves were measured from a golden box into the finest porcelain cups. The guests were suitably impressed and expressed their appreciation. The host then revealed, “The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink. I hope it will be a reminder to all that the good things in life are not necessarily the rarest or the costliest.”
The world tends to value things that are outwardly impressive, but God delights in using things that are deemed common or are overlooked. One of the reasons for this is that His glory is more clearly shown when ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things for Him. Paul wrote, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). We will never be able to live and work for God victoriously in our own strength and power. We must have His help and direction and might in order to do His work in the world. God does not choose us because He needs our help. He does not select us because we bring talents and abilities. Instead, He chooses us and graciously includes us in His work as a way to demonstrate His greatness and glory.
