Back to Corinth: 2 Cor. 10: 1-17

Verses 4-6: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

At the beginning of the movie Iron Man, Tony Stark is about to demonstrate his latest missile code-named Jericho. He introduces it in his speech, including the famous quote, “They say that the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That’s how Dad did it, that’s how America does it, and it’s worked out pretty well so far.” It’s ironic that he named this destructive weapon after Jericho, the ancient city in Canaan feared for its incredible fortress like walls…walls which were brought down by God as Joshua followed His leading in having the Israelites take the Promised Land.

However, Paul here goes a step further. He tells the church not to put your trust in weapons of war or of defenses of man, but in the mighty power of God! In the comics once, the Justice League and Justice Society argued about who needed to deliver a doomsday weapon against a giant cosmic hand gripped around Earth. They all acknowledged it would be hard to survive the explosion. Superman, stated he should be the one, since he was invulnerable…until Dr. Fate mildly shocked him with a small bolt of magic. Both Green Lanterns argued they should go, until Green Arrow produced a yellow, wooden arrow, combining both their weaknesses. You see, no matter how strong or seemingly invincible mortal man proclaims to be, he cannot face the power of Satan…that is, not without the power of God, Whose power always triumphs over evil.

Remember the old bumper sticker, “God is my co-pilot”? Friend, give Him the wheel and let Him be the driver!

Something to think about!

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Back to Corinth: 1 Cor. 1:26-30

Verse 27: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;”

A car racer, Cliff Steele, has a freak accident and his brain is surgically placed in a nigh invulnerable robot body.
A test pilot, Larry Trainor, has a freak accident, requiring him to be wrapped in radiation-proof bandages to contain the alien being that has bonded with him.
A talented, athletic, beautiful actress named Rita Farr has a freak accident with strange volcanic gases, giving her size changing abilities.

All of them considered freaks; but Niles Caulder bonds them together into a team to protect the world…a team called…the Doom Patrol.

5 teenagers with various mutations are recruited to the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. One has wings, one has optic blast vision, one can form ice, one has beast-like strength and agility, and one has telekinesis. Feared by the world, these mutants will become mankind’s protectors…the X-Men.

In both instances, DC Comics and Marvel Comics created magazines about outcasts; these outcasts became unlikely heroes and the reading public loved them. Even today, some of these heroes exist now on the big screen of movies. But if you were to pick some type of superheroes to be easily accepted and popular, would you have picked these? Even a young Stan Lee had to convince his bosses when he was first starting out to give him a chance with a teenager who wasn’t a sidekick…a teenager who would become Spider-Man!

Paul is reminding the Corinthian church that God has picked the least likely choices (by man’s standards) to spread the Gospel, to show The Way. Think about Jesus’s disciples: were they all-star teams of leaders with great talent sets? Were they the Justice League or the Avengers?

No, their occupations were:
Fishermen
Tax Collector
Zealot
Tradesmen
And some we don’t even know what they did…they were just called by Jesus.
(Found this info at https://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/occupations-of-the-12-disciples-faq.htm)

The world would look at them and say “They’re going to help change the world?” Jesus looked at them and said, “Come, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Something to think about.

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Acts 24: 24-27

Verse 27: “But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.”

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe the horse was lost,
for want of a horse the knight was lost,
for want of a knight the battle was lost.
So it was a kingdom was lost – all for want of a nail.
– JLA: The Nail

In the DC comic book special, JLA: The Nail, an alternate tale of the beginning of the Justice League is told. Most everyone who has ever heard of Superman knows his origin: rocketed from the dying planet, Krypton, his spaceship nearly crashes into the travelling truck of Jonathan and Martha Kent. The Kents adopt the baby, and their parenting guidance paves the way for Superman’s moral code. In this story, (the background of which can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JLA:_The_Nail_series ), a nail causes Jonathan Kent to have a flat tire, delaying their fated rendezvous with Kal-El’s spaceship. Instead, an Amish couple find and raise Kal-El in the isolation of their community, thus altering the familiar storyline of Superman and the Justice League.

In the passage today, it would seem Paul has hit a nail. Even though he has conversations with Governor Felix several times, reasoning and witnessing to him, Felix is afraid and keeps sending Paul away. The passage evens states that he hopes Paul would bribe him to let him go. So after all the trial and testimony, trying to do the Jews a political favor on his way out the door…Felix leaves Paul in custody.

Some might see this as a nail altering the story and mission of Paul; here he is, stalled in house arrest at Caesarea. Not so; remember, God had promised Paul he would see Rome as His missionary. What may seem like a delay, simply was God’s plan for Paul to tell the Good News to even more officials. Enter the new Governor Festus and later King Agrippa. The Kingdom here is not lost for want of a nail…it is held in place by divine direction of Jesus Christ.

Something to think about.

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Proverbs 16:9-10

verse 9: “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”

In the movie adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (which is sort of a Justice League of literary heroes), Allan Quatermain and Tom Sawyer are pursuing Mr. Hyde through the back alleys of Paris. Quatermain the hunter shoots and misses Mr. Hyde, who dodges the shot (by the way, Allan Quatermain never misses what he shoots at). Sawyer remarks, “you missed him.” Quatermain replies, “I wasn’t trying to hit him…..turn left, Mr. Hyde.” as he shoots again, making Hyde turn left. It is only several scenes later that the viewer sees that Quatermain has been deftly corralling Hyde into a trap to capture him, all the while Hyde thinking he was escaping his pursuers.

Man thinks he can plan every step of his future, that he is the sole captain at the wheel of the ship. However, he fails at times to remember a simple fact I have stated on several of these devotions….God is in control. Similar to modern GPS devices that tell you when you stray and direct you back to the mapped path, God has a way of directing our steps in life. If you don’t have Jesus charting the course for your life….isn’t it about time you gave Him the wheel?

Something to think about.

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