“LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIMSELF!”

 1 Corinthians 3:18-23                                (ESV)

“[18] “LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIMSELF”. If anyone among you THINKS THAT HE IS WISE in this age, LET HIM BECOME A FOOL that he may become wise. [19] For the wisdom of this world is folly with GOD. For it is written, “HE catches the wise in their craftiness,” [20] and again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” [21] So LET NO ONE BOAST IN MEN. For all things are yours, [22] whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, [23] and you are CHRIST’s, and CHRIST is GOD’s.”

One of the most hurtful experiences in life is being DECEIVED by someone that you love.  To trust someone to the point that you bring hardship to yourself while they escape the same difficulty brings about a wide range of emotions, such as anger, regret, retribution, and a general hurt because of the misplaced trust.  

But what about when we DECEIVE ourselves?  Hurting yourself shows that we are not nearly as wise as we thought!  Going through the Brain Hemorrhage 14 years ago is still teaching me lessons.  In those days I THOUGHT that I was indestructible, that nothing was able to stop me!   I was DECEIVED by my own mind, thinking I was “all that”!  But when GOD OPENED MY EYES are allowed me to SEE (Luke 24:16;31;45) the TRUTH of my frailty in HIS KINGDOM, my entire perspective changed.  

ONLY when GOD performs HIS WORK in our lives can we be used for HIS GLORY and HIS PURPOSE.  When WE THINK that we are able to glorify anything outside of the infilling of the SPIRIT OF GOD, we are in danger of “LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIMSELF”!  “You are CHRIST’s, and CHRIST is GOD’s” is WRITTEN for we who are enamored by ourselves so much that we CANNOT SEE that we belong to someone else!  

When our EYES are opened to observe that we are simply TOOLS in HIS KINGDOM, we are finally getting to the point where we can be used by our CREATOR!  Mortal mans intelligence is minuscule compared to the WISDOM OF JESUS.  GOD is in JESUS and JESUS is in us (John 17:23) is the ONLY redeeming value any of us can claim!  Not our wealth, intelligence, or anything else.  “LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIMSELF” to believe anything else!!!