Who God Uses: God Glorifies Himself in the Lowly, the Least & the Little | 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1 show that God is pleased to use “the foolish,” “the weak,” the base, the despised, even the “nobodies,” so that no flesh should glory in His presence. God does not measure people by wealth, education, appearance, influence, or applause. God looks for yieldedness, availability, and faith. God sometimes walks past the impressive and picks the ones everyone else misses.

Mary shows the beauty of lowliness. God sent Gabriel, not to a palace or to the high priest, but to humble Nazareth and to a poor village girl engaged to a carpenter. Grace greeted Mary before qualification ever could: “Hail, thou that art highly favored.” Mary answered as a handmaid, a servant, yielding her reputation, plans, and future to God’s word. Hannah’s song and Mary’s song both declare that God lifts the poor from the dust and the beggar from the dunghill.

David shows how God uses the least. Jesse’s strong sons stood in the lineup, but the youngest, the little tacker, remained out in the back paddock with the sheep. God looked upon David’s heart while men looked upon outward appearance. The pasture became David’s Bible school, where hidden faithfulness trained a shepherd king. Goliath saw a boy with a stick, but God saw His vessel, and the battle belonged to the Lord.

Gideon shows that weakness does not disqualify a person whom God accompanies. Gideon called himself poor, without resources, and least in his father’s house. God answered, “Surely I will be with thee.” Gideon’s army was reduced from 32,000 to 300 so that Israel could not say, “Mine own hand hath saved me.” Broken clay jars revealed the light, and God received the glory.

The little boy’s lunch shows that the little in human hands stays little, but the little in Christ’s hands becomes more than enough. A little captive maid, a handful of meal, two mites, and Moses’ simple rod all show that God can use small offerings, quiet words, and ordinary things yielded to Him. Christ Himself became lowly, despised, rejected, and of no reputation, going to the cross as a servant. His grace rests upon earthen vessels so that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of them.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace comes before human qualification Mary was not greeted as highly qualified, but as highly favoured. God’s grace does not wait for a person to climb into a worthy place before Him. Humility receives what self-importance can never earn, because God delights to bestow grace upon those who know they are servants. [07:31]
• 2. Hidden pastures prepare God’s servants David’s years among the sheep were not wasted years. God used the quiet, unseen place to form a heart that could guard, worship, and trust Him when the battle came. Faithfulness without fanfare is often God’s training ground for work that only He can do. [14:43]
• 3. God’s presence outweighs human lack Gideon saw poor family standing, limited resources, and personal inadequacy. God answered that problem, not by first enlarging Gideon’s credentials, but by promising, “Surely I will be with thee.” God’s presence turns weakness into a place where His own strength becomes plain. [20:34]
• 4. Bring the little to Jesus The boy’s lunch looked too small for the crowd, yet Christ took it, gave thanks, and fed them all. Small resources become meaningful when they are placed in the Master’s hands rather than clutched in fear. Time, words, skills, strength, and quiet faith can become vessels of grace when yielded to Christ. [25:11]
• 5. The treasure matters, not the vessel Earthen vessels are common, fragile, and easily broken. God lets His light shine through weakness so that no one mistakes the vessel for the source of power. Glory belongs to the Lord when His treasure is seen within ordinary lives. [38:46]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:08] - God Chooses the Nobodies
• [05:09] - God Uses the Lowly
• [06:07] - Mary and the Grace of God
• [10:17] - Rahab and the Lowly
• [12:03] - God Uses the Least
• [12:47] - David Chosen From the Pasture
• [18:41] - Gideon’s Weakness and God’s Presence
• [20:55] - Gideon’s Army Reduced to 300
• [22:41] - God Uses the Little
• [23:00] - The Little Boy’s Lunch
• [25:54] - Little Offerings Used by God
• [31:28] - Christ Became Lowly, Least, and Little
• [33:44] - Three Lessons for Faithful Living
• [36:42] - Bring Your Little to Jesus
• [38:46] - Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 1:26-31
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” [02:25]

Luke 1:26-38
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!' But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.' And Mary said to the angel, 'How will this be, since I am a virgin?' And the angel answered her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.' And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.” [06:07]

1 Samuel 16:1-13
“The Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.' And Samuel said, 'How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.' And the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord." And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.' Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, 'Do you come peaceably?' And he said, 'Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.' And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.' But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.' Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, 'The Lord has not chosen these.' Then Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.' And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.” [12:47]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Corinthians 1:26–31, what kinds of people does Paul say God has chosen, and what result does this produce before God? [02:25]
2. What details in Luke 1 show that Mary came from a humble setting, and how did she respond to the angel’s message?
3. In 1 Samuel 16, what was David doing when Samuel came to Jesse’s house, and why had David been left out of the gathering? [13:07]
4. What contrast does the Lord make between the way people judge a person and the way He looks at a person? [12:51]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Paul emphasise that God chooses the foolish, weak, and despised things of the world rather than allowing human status or ability to receive the glory? [04:00]
2. Mary was called highly favoured before she had done anything to earn such favour. How does this help explain the difference between God’s grace and human qualification? [07:31]
3. David’s quiet work among the sheep became preparation for later responsibility. What qualities might God have been forming in David during those unseen years? [14:47]
4. Gideon focused on his poor family background and his own smallness, but God answered him with the promise of His presence. Why is God’s presence a stronger answer than greater resources or credentials? [20:38]

Application questions

1. Where is there a tendency to measure personal worth by appearance, education, income, influence, confidence, or the approval of others? What would it look like to see that area through God’s eyes instead? [33:53]
2. Mary called herself the Lord’s servant and yielded her reputation, plans, and future to His word. Is there an area of life that is being held tightly rather than placed in God’s hands? What might humble surrender look like there? [07:46]
3. What is the “pasture” in this season of life—the ordinary, hidden, or repetitive place of responsibility? How can faithfulness be practised there even if no one notices or applauds? [35:00]
4. Is there a weakness, limitation, background, or lack of confidence that has become an excuse for not serving God? How does Gideon’s story encourage a different response? [20:13]
5. What “little” is already in hand—time, practical skill, home, finances, a kind word, prayer, or a chance to share the gospel—that could be offered to Christ this week? [37:51]
6. When God uses a person’s weakness or small offering, why is it important to give Him the credit rather than quietly taking the glory for oneself? [38:46]