Voluntary Weakness

I have been praying through and studying this passage in 1 Corinthians recently (my parenthesis added):

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us...it is (it is the way to experience) the power of God... 21 It pleased God through the (so-called) foolishness of the message preached to save (empower) those who believe... (1 Corinthians 1:18-21)

Paul was writing this to the Corinthian church to encourage them to be confident in God's wisdom in the "way of the cross". The message of the cross is really two-fold. First, it's the message that Jesus died on the cross to save humans from sin and hell forever. Second, it's that a true believer must embrace the cross (the weakness and foolishness of it) as the normal lifestyle of a sojourner in this age. Embracing the cross is embracing a lifestyle of meekness and humility. We really like the first message, but it's the second one we struggle with the most!

The lifestyle that Jesus embraced was godly voluntary weakness. He didn't just embrace it Himself but told us to embrace it.

God has chosen the (so-called) foolish things of the world to put to shame the (so-called) wise, and God has chosen the (so-called) weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are (so-called) mighty...29 that no flesh should glory in His presence... 31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." (1 Cor. 1:27-31)

Living this "fasted lifestyle" is God's call to embrace voluntary weakness to experience more of His nearness. What is the fasted lifestyle? There are 5 types of "fasting" described in Matthew 6:1-20. We fast food, time, energy, money and words by giving, serving, praying (with the Word), blessing those who offend us and fasting food as we develop the 8 beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Each is a form of fasting, in that we are voluntarily embracing weakness by submitting our strengths into God's hands and trusting Him to answer us His way and in His time. In giving, we fast our money (financial strength). In serving and prayer, we are fasting our time and energy, investing it in others and in prayer. In blessing those who offend us, we fast words and reputation. Fasting from food is not primarily a call to hunger but to physical weakness. The Lord is calling every believer to embrace "the fasted lifestyle" long term. No one graduates from this lifestyle.

Meekness and humility is the only way forward! The more we understand the wisdom of voluntary weakness - how it honors God and protects us in it - the more resolve we have to take hold of it. This is totally contrary to our normal mindset! May He give us grace to live this way.