The Great Paradox

Published on by Niki
It’s scandalous.

It’s mind-boggling.

It’s completely backwards.

It doesn’t make sense.

…until it does.

No, I am not talking about this.

Because we all agree the dress is ivory and gold… 
…I mean purple and brown… 
I mean blue and black.

No, I’m talking about the dress.

I’m talking about THIS.

God’s word.
Enduring forever.
(Isaiah 40:8)

Alive and powerful.
Sharper than any double-edged sword.
(Hebrews 4:12)

A lamp unto our feet.
A light for our path.
(Psalm 119:105)

Our daily bread.
(Matthew 4:4)

The longer and deeper I dive into this book the more I begin to see a pattern…
Everything is upside down and backwards.
Full of paradoxes.
Take God’s view on economics for instance:
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
Proverbs 11:24

What?
Give = Wealth?
Stingy = Poverty?

Or how about God’s advice on life:

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 16:25
 

Hmmm.
Saving = Losing?
Losing = Finding?
Interesting…
Here’s a real eye opener… what does God have to say about leadership?

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
-Jesus to His disciples, Matthew 20
 
Really?
Leadership = Serving?
Top of the Ladder = Slave?
Want some relationship advice from God?
No problem, His word is full of it!
… the only problem is you might not like it.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. 
Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Phillipians 2:3

 Ok, not so bad, I can do that with my friends!

No…

with your enemies.
You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 
But I say, love your enemies!  
Pray for those who persecute you!
-Jesus, Matthew 5
What?! 
You can’t be serious.
Yes. I AM.

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink…
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
-Romans 12:19-21

Wow.

Do you see the massive paradox?
We don’t overcome evil with greater evil.
We overcome evil with good.

Don’t CURSE those who hate YOU,
BLESS them!

How in the world does a person do that?

The answer lies in one last paradox for us to consider.

“…my grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
-God to the Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:9

“So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s
why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships,
persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.  
For when I am weak,
then I am strong.“
-Paul’s response, 2 Corinthians 12:10

And there it is:
Weak = Strong

 Upside down, inside out, paradoxical, cross-centered dependence.

YOU can’t do it.
I can’t do it.

But God.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…

Ephesians 2:4
The Greatest Paradox of All.
The Cross.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our
iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and
with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
Our Sin = His Death
His Death = Our Healing
His Resurrection = Eternal Life
 
To those who say that God is a crutch for the weak I would say that’s not nearly a strong enough indictment. 
He’s more like a doctor carrying a quadriplegic up a mountain to enjoy the view.

 
For apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

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