Sometimes I feel like that summarizes my spiritual walk – moving forward toward a foggy, uncertain destination.
Like me, do you ever have a hard time receiving specific direction from the Lord?
Obviously, there are many things we are clearly directed to do in Scripture – summed up in, “love and serve others.” But do I go here, do this, do that, when do I move, when do I stay, when do I wait, when do I act? All those specifics are often hard for me to discern.
If you have the same problem, it might encourage you to know, we are in good company. Continue reading →
I love this passage (Romans 11:33-36) where Paul gets so overwhelmed with God that his excitement splashes out onto the page.
33A – O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
It may be silly but I see a picture here of Uncle Scrooge, the rich duck, who loved to dive into his rooms full of money and swim around in it. The depth of the riches of God is even deeper than Scrooge’s vault. And God’s riches are of wisdom and knowledge – deeper, richer, wiser, more enduring than gold or silver.
It is like Paul sits back in his chair awed by it – Ohhh, the depth of the riches of God. Both His wisdom and His knowledge are incomprehensible.
It makes me want to dive into that vault of wisdom and knowledge and swim around in it. Can you imagine how many of our problems would vaporize if we had God’s wisdom and knowledge on our life situations? Wouldn’t our entire life change if we could see things as God sees them? I think so.
33B – how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
No wonder there is so much disunity in the Family of God. We all think we have God’s ways figured out and His ways are our ways. Anybody that worships different than us, believes different than us, sees God differently than we do is just plain wrong because we have Him figured out. Continue reading →
1 Corinthians 8:1
We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
________________
This passage has been taken by some to justify ignorance or lack of formal training because “knowledge puffs up”. Obviously the Lord’s intent here is not to bash “knowledge” or training. Elsewhere, particularly in Proverbs, the Bible speaks so highly of knowledge and wisdom as a treasure. Proverbs 8:10 – “Choose … knowledge rather than choice gold.” Paul even laments those who have a zeal without knowledge (Romans 10:2) and encourages study (2 Timothy 2:15). Yes, Jesus used “unlearned and ignorant men” (Acts 4:13) but he also chose Paul, one of the sharpest minds perhaps of all time and Dr Luke, a gentile, to write the vast majority of the New Testament.
Yes, God will use any available vessel, even a donkey, but Ecclesiastes tells us that education sharpens the tool and you can cut down a bigger tree with less effort if you take time to sharpen the ax.
Don’t minimize the importance of study and knowledge. It will not replace relationship but the more I know about my wife, the better my understanding of who she really is and not just who I think she is, the deeper our relationship can grow. Proper knowledge with a proper heart attitude can increase the depth of my relationship with the Lord just as it does in human relationships.
So what was Paul talking about here? The answer, as usual, is found in carefully reading the entire passage and putting this phrase in its proper context. But I’ll have to save that for my next post.
_____________ 2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Ecclesiastes 10:10
Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade.That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
Lately a lot more than usual has been going on in life and though I get up early to read a little Scripture it has been rushed and I haven’t taken time to “settle into” prayer. Without that time to just wait before the Lord, prayer is just me talking (not giving God a chance to respond when He has something to say). And I have discovered, what God says to me is infinitely more important than what I say to Him. I am beginning to notice the spiritual addledness that comes from no listening time but, but it’s easy to think, “I just don’t have time.”
That’s when I received this post from my son Jonathan reminding me of something he has probably heard me preach 20 times. I thought it might be a good word to encourage you as it did me. I condensed it so I suggest you check out his blog: FakingCreativity.com
_______________
You Aren’t Too Busy by Jonathan Malm
I hate when people say they’re too busy. When you say that, you’re actually saying “I’m too busy for you!” You’re never actually too busy. If the President requested a conference with you, you’d find the time. The reason you’re “too busy” is that you have put a higher priority on other things.
May I suggest you have enough time in the day to do everything you want to do? If you were willing to drop other things, you would have the time. By shifting your priorities you can make time for what’s important to you. Here are a few reasons you might be “too busy”:
Perfectionism – I spend valuable time on insignificant projects.
Media – Try dropping media for a day. You’ll find the time again.
Squeaky Wheels – If you’re greasing the wrong vehicle you’re wasting your time.
So why are you “too busy”. What needs to be re-prioritized in your life? You have enough time to be creative. You have enough time to be awesome at what matters to you. Give yourself, and others, the time. Creativity is found in love, not in tasks.
__
Thanks for the good word, Jonathan.
___________________________ Ecclesiastes 8:3-6
Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. … Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter …
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Onward through the fog!
