Devotional 3 November 2025

November 03, 2025 • Steve Torres

1 Corinthians 4:9.jpg

“For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” (1 Corinthians 4:9–14, ESV)

Paul writes with deep irony and fatherly affection. The Corinthians, proud of their spiritual gifts and social standing, saw their success as proof of maturity. Paul dismantles that illusion by comparing their boasting to his suffering. If being in Christ means honor, wealth, and comfort, then Paul, who endures hunger, persecution, and shame, must be the least of all believers. Yet, it is precisely his hardship that reveals true discipleship. The apostles are “a spectacle to the world,” despised and mocked, but their endurance reflects the pattern of Christ Himself, who “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:5–8).

The wisdom of God is revealed through what the world calls foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:27). Paul blesses when cursed (Romans 12:14), endures when struck down (2 Corinthians 4:8–10), and rejoices to share in the sufferings of Christ (Philippians 3:10). This is the Wisdom of God that confounds worldly wisdom. Faithfulness does not exalt self but magnifies Christ, who “though He was rich, yet for your sake became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Paul’s concern is not merely that the Corinthians think too highly of themselves, but that they are being shaped by teachers who glorify worldly success. False teachers often disguise pride as spirituality, boasting in what they have accomplished rather than in what Christ has done. Paul urges believers to imitate not the strong, but the crucified: to measure faith not by applause but by endurance in love.

The call remains: live in the Wisdom of God, not in the wisdom of the world. To follow Christ is to walk the narrow road of humility, endurance, and love until glory is revealed.