Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Corinthians 2:9 

“But, as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9           

This is an intriguing verse.  The idea is that God has plans for His people, things we have absolutely no idea about, for we have not seen or heard about all He has in mind.  I love the way Paul lays it out this idea.  “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:11. No one can know what I am thinking unless I tell them, because they cannot read my mind.  In the same light, we cannot know what God has prepared for us unless He tells us.  Now he has told us some, and we can know them if we choose.  Unfortunately, there are some who close their minds to these truths, refusing the understand. We see an example of this above.  “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:8. This verse speaks of the Jewish leadership, who had read God’s word, but did not understand because they felt they already knew.  And because they did not truly know, they crucified the promised Messiah.

Now, there are two ways we can look at this passage, and I believe both are valid.  The one does not negate the other.  First, that God prepared a way of salvation through His Son.  The Jews at that time only understood and followed the law.  They had seen it at work in the temple worship, ceremonies and traditions.  They were not focused on totally understanding the old testament, for if they were, they would have seen Jesus as the Messiah.  However, they chose not to.  And because they did not, unbeknownst to them, they killed the one sent to save them.  They chose not to see, hear or think in this way.

And second, our glorious eternal future.  All we have seen is what is here in this life.  For me, a wonderful and glorious life would be living in a cabin in the woods next to a creek where I can relax for eternity in peace with family and friends.  However, He has so much more for us.  Yes, my idea is great for me.  But His kingdom is so much greater than anything down here.  The Spirit has revealed certain pieces to us in His Word, however, there is infinitely more than we can imagine.  His mind is infinitely greater than ours, we cannot even begin to understand.

The main thing that combines both of these ideas is the love of God.  Because of this He sent His only begotten Son to pay the penalty for our sins through a completely righteous and sinless life ending in the perfect sacrifice, the only way we could be saved.  We see this, but unfortunately there are those who close their minds and hearts to this eternal truth.  They refuse to see and hear what God has done for them.  And because we, as Christians, understand and accept the work done on the cross, we have a future promised to us that goes well beyond what we could ever imagine.  Both ideas can be seen in our focus verse, “But, as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.