Embracing Sadness and Finding Joy: A Study of Our Life in Christ During the Holidays - Part 3: Bending our Knees Like the Shepherds

Merry Christmas, everyone! If you have been following along, you know I have been doing a series on embracing the emotion of sadness during the holidays as it pertains to our life in Christ. In Part 1, we looked at why it is okay to be sad, that God is the author of emotions, and tips for maneuvering grief during the holidays. In Part 2, we looked back at God’s faithfulness and how that pertains to dealing with sadness, and mulled over why remembering His faithfulness is like a wall of defense for our minds.

Today we are going to go directly to the Christmas story and look at what we can learn from the Shepherds and how that enables us to have joy, even in the midst of heartache and grief.

Image by Eduin Escobar from Pixabay

“8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”

— Luke 2:8-20 (NASB 1995)

Shepherding was a vital industry all throughout the Old Testament with numerous “big names” in Biblical history doing this difficult, outdoor, sometimes life threatening job. Abel, Abraham, Issac, Moses and David were all shepherds. Though the socioeconomic status of a shepherd had declined by the time of Jesus’ birth, the commitment of shepherds to care for their flocks still stood strong. They regularly faced predators that included wolves, lions, bears, hyenas, and leopards. They walked many miles to find feeding areas, as well as water. Shepherds were always vigilant. Even after the sheep were led into the fold for the night, a shepherd would place his body across the doorway to keep out unwanted predators. Apparently there were occasions where shepherds would mix their herds together for the evening to split the guarding shifts. In the morning they were easily able to sort the sheep by the sound of each shepherd’s voice.

It might be, on the night the angel came to these shepherds that was the case. Perhaps four or five shepherds had come together, and while a few of them slept the others kept watch over the sheep. I am pretty sure they were all wide awake when that angel showed up!

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

There are many things we can learn from the shepherds that can help us in our season of sadness around the holidays. Let’s take a look.

1 - Shepherds were living life. These shepherds were doing their work. They were guarding their sheep: leading, guiding, feeding, watching, giving aid, tending to wounds, and certainly searching for any lambs that may have wandered away. Any one of those shepherds or shepherdesses (yes, women were shepherds too…talk about bad a**) could have been feeling sad. They could have been grieving the loss of a family member, the loss of a sheep (they were required to pay for any sheep lost or killed); they could have been struggling with illness, or blisters on their feet, or maybe they were discouraged because they really wanted to be a singer in the temple choir, but here they are tending sheep.

When we are dealing with sadness or grief, one of the best things to do, is keep living life. Go to work, meet with friends, get groceries, work on a closet, clean a bathroom; even the most mundane tasks that contribute to living life help us to process and get through. Listen to this quick snippet that reminds us why even making the bed can help.

2. Shepherds were brave and intelligent. Frankly I find it fascinating that shepherds were not seen as super heroes. I mean, beating off wolves, bears, an occasional lion or two had to be a tough job. These people were not weak, nor were they soft. They were weathered, strong, and probably wiry. They also had to have job intelligence, meaning they knew where to go to feed the sheep, where to find water, which in itself was a challenge in an arid climate. Sheep being what they are don’t like to drink from moving water, as it spooks them. They needed still water that wasn’t tainted with bacteria or other things that would make the sheep sick.

Image by Richard Haddeman from Pixabay

If you are working through a time of grief, learn what works for you to not only process that grief, but also the things that help you to continue living life. That will look different for every person. I personally like the “grief blanket” idea. I can allow myself to feel sadness for a time, and then get up and do other things. Maybe for you dealing with sadness is easier when you keep busy while also allowing your mind to remember why you are sad. Know what things will cause you to give in to the sickness of despair and depression, and find “safe water” to drink - like the water of God’s truth in His word.

3 - The shepherds were curious. After they got over the initial shock of seeing angelic beings, the shepherds high tailed it for Bethlehem to see the child of which they were told. In your sadness, be curious. Ask God what He wants you to learn about His character, yourself, or someone else. Be curious about Biblical accounts of people who dealt with grief and sadness. Read about Sarah, Hannah, Naomi, David, Nehemiah, Job (read the whole book to not only understand his grief, but know better the God who deals, reveals and restores,) and even Jesus as he is moved with compassion, and yes grief in the Gospel accounts.

Image by Ag Ku from Pixabay

4 - The shepherds were humble. I will acknowledge I am making an assumption about the shepherds’ humility. However, seeing the type of job they had and the lifestyle they lived I do not think they were the type of people who would put on airs and act as though they knew everything or had it all together. They really strike me as just regular, hard working people, that maybe were a bit smelly. Ha, ha. But they were real. The thing I love about this Biblical account is their unbridled enthusiasm. Why does that make them humble? Because they didn’t care about what people would think, they didn’t care that they were the best dressed, or clean, or had lots of money. They just wanted Jesus, and isn’t wanting Jesus all about humility?

Wanting the true Jesus of the Bible is about choosing to give up ourselves: our preconceived ideas, our knowledge base, our education, our upbringing, our trauma, our grief, our discouragement, our wealth, our status, our identity, and letting it all go to embrace the baby in the manger - the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

— Isaiah 9:6 (NASB 1995)

Embracing Sadness and Finding Joy: A Study of our Life in Jesus during the Holidays - Part 2: Remembering God's Faithfulness

If you are following along this December, I am doing a short series on the emotion of sadness during the holidays. Holidays for many are not the bright, merry celebrations we tend to hear about. Instead, they are filled with pain, hurt, anger, sadness and despair. The reasons are many, from the death of a spouse or child, to divorce, to the loss of a job or health, to the state of our country. Many people are struggling with feeling depressed and overwhelmed.

Image by Armando Orozco from Pixabay

The reason I decided to broach this topic was in part to share what I have learned about carrying sadness on a regular basis, but still being able to function and live a full and productive life. Sadness isn’t something that we necessarily need to be free of, but rather something we need to embrace and learn how to accept and manage.

Last week we looked at what embracing sadness looks like and explored a few thoughts on how we can manage our own sadness, or how we can help others who are feeling more down than usual at this time of year. Tips included: having a grieving blanket, physical activity, artistic pursuits, and allowing others to help carry the burden. Another suggestion was to remember the faithfulness of God, and that is what we are going to look at this week.

The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are full of examples of God’s faithfulness. If we are in a particular dark state of mind we might read some of the Biblical accounts and only see God’s wrath, judgment and impatience, but as with all things if we look only for the darkness, we will only encounter darkness. True freedom lies in following and embracing the light of Christ.

Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

— John 1:1-18 (ESV)

God provides everything that we need to live life in this dark world, but the most important thing He provided was the Light, the life of His Son Jesus Christ. Try to imagine living in a world with no light. How would you be able to live life? There is the rather comedic aspect of running into walls, crashing into cars, and stepping on Legos in the living room, but it goes much deeper than that. Light is essential for plants to grow, which in turn produce oxygen, which gives us the ability to breath. Light is essential for our mental health. Take it from a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder, sunlight is absolutely necessary for me to feel human. Light is also an important element in the deterrence of crime, otherwise, why would so many business owners leave lights on around their property?

Probably the most important aspect to light is that it lets us see. There is the physical aspect of sight which keeps us from running into things and helps us to recognize things and people. It also allows us to learn and study. Similarly, spiritual sight, given to us through the Holy Spirit, allows us to know God and His Word better. Abiding in the light enables to turn from the darkness and recognize God’s constant faithfulness.

““The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

— Deuteronomy 32:4 (NASB 1995)

“Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

— Psalm 36:5 (NASB 1995)

“He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”

— Psalm 91:4 (NASB 1995)

I find this last verse interesting. “His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” We all know what a shield is, but what is a bulwark? Websters online dictionary defines bulwark as: a solid wall-like structure raised for defense; a seawall; a strong support or protection. If God’s faithfulness is a shield and bulwark, then that means His faithfulness is supporting and protecting us. Might it also mean, that when we choose to remember His faithfulness, it helps protect our minds from spending too much time in the darkness? Perhaps recalling God’s faithfulness is the best way to protect ourselves from the unbridled pain and despair we can feel when we are grieving.

In other versions of the Bible instead of the word, bulwark, or rampart the word is buckler. A buckler is a small shield and to my understanding it was a shield that was used during hand to hand combat. It was a shield that was held close to the body, and could also be maneuvered to block the enemy’s strikes. Whether you like the idea of a strong wall of defense or a small shield used in daily battle with the enemy, the reality is both are true. God is our defense, and His faithfulness allows us to extinguish the flaming arrows of despair, bitterness and hatred that Satan sends our way.

As I said in my first post, sadness is an emotion God gave us and by embracing it we allow ourselves to process those strong feelings in a healthy way, but if we allow ourselves to only see the sadness, and not remember the joy, or the laughter, we risk becoming shrouded in a darkness that might lead to a place of no return.

So, how do we remember God’s faithfulness when we are feeling overwhelmed by the sad? Let’s look at a few ideas.

1 - Pray. Ask God to help you to remember His faithfulness. Perhaps you prayed for something specific and that prayer was answered. Maybe you needed direction regarding a decision and He gave it to you. Remember God is not just faithful in the big things, He’s also faithful in the tiny details. Ask Him to help you remember those times and write those things down.

I did this recently, and God brought to my mind His faithfulness to me as a child. Growing up in a Bible believing church, I was fortunate to be surrounded by Biblical teaching, but hearing God’s word, does not necessarily mean we will follow Him. When I was very young, perhaps in kindergarten or 1st grade I had a Sunday School teacher named Miss Draper. An older, single woman, she was all vim and vinegar, but she genuinely cared about her students. I remember she took a trip to Europe. When she came back she had gifts for each of the children in her class. When I opened mine it was a little chalet of sorts. The roof opened and from within came the most beautiful music. Her gesture of kindness set me on a road of wanting to know Jesus. Oh what the love of a person living in obedience to Christ can do to change the world.

Image by Steve Haselden from Pixabay

2 - Read Scripture. I know these suggestions are not anything new, but how much more we need to be seeking our precious Lord, when we are in the throes of sadness and heartbreak. Scripture is full of examples of God’s faithfulness. Think of His provision for Adam and Eve’s nakedness after the fall (Genesis 3:21); or what about His faithfulness to Noah and His family during a catastrophic, world wide flood (Genesis 7:23); and don’t forget the restoration He gave to Job after allowing Satan to take everything away (Job 42:10-17); and one of my favorite accounts of His lovingkindness was to Ruth, a woman not even a Jew, given a place in the lineage of Jesus our King of Kings (Ruth 4). Start to finish, the Bible is a ribbon of God’s faithfulness, provision, love and intervention on the behalf of humanity, the greatest of these being Christ’s entry into our world as a baby.

mage by Ingela Skullman from Pixabay

3 - Look for God’s faithfulness and provision in the day to day. All may seem bleak until we start exercising the eyes of our hearts. Our physical eyes might only see the darkness; the pain, the despair, the unknown, but our spiritual eyes can see things beyond this physical world.

“15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

— Ephesians 1:15-23 (NASB 1995)

Paul’s prayer pertains to us when we are grieving. He prays that we would see with the eyes of our hearts so that: we would know the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Look and see.

Image by Adrian from Pixabay

4 - Treasure thanksgiving. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks ago here in the U.S. it is good to take this idea into the Christmas holidays, especially when we are sad. Giving thanks is not only a mood lifter, but it forces us to refocus our mind from the darkness to the light. Start small if that is all you can manage. Thank God for a warm bed, a hot shower, food, clean water, and a place to live. Even if all of these were striped away from us, we could still be thankful for Him; for His presence; for His character; for the fact that He does not change. Is it always easy to give thanks? No. But it is desired by our Creator.

“in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB 1995)

I hope this week you will find many moments to remember God’s faithfulness.

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 9

We should be drawing this study to a close this week. I hope you have enjoyed this look at 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. I can only say it was one of those Holy Spirit directed studies that I had not been intending to do. You must understand, what I put on the blog is most often things I am learning and/or struggling with. I hope I can always bring you the same clarity and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives me when revealing truth in His word.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— I Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Last week we looked specifically at verse 13 diving into the concept that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us and who gives us God’s wisdom. Paul’s teaching came, not from human wisdom, but from the wisdom taught to him by the Spirit of God. The same is true in our own lives as we grow closer to God and learn to listen to His Spirit with open ears. We looked specifically at 1 John 2:27 which reminds us that when we have His anointing, or the Holy Spirit we have no need of other teaching or wisdom. God’s wisdom is all we need. I also made a note that we must have His discernment to make sure that what we are saying is of the Spirit actually is His Spirit and not the spirit of the world. Remember, the spirit of the world is not for God.

Let’s start looking at verses 14 - 15.

14 - But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Image by Gina Janosch from Pixabay

I think this verse is pertinent to what is happening in the world as we look around at the violence, hatred, and sin that permeates all cultures. In our own country we have seen a definite uptick in violence as a way to respond to ideas, people, religion and beliefs that are not liked or agreed with. This is the response of the natural man. Our sin nature wants what it wants and it looks at the things of God as ridiculous.

Even as believers we find ourselves regularly battling against this old nature and fighting to turn to Jesus and His truth rather than give in to our baser sin nature. The difference is, we have God’s Spirit gently reminding us how much God loves us, what He did for us and why His wisdom is always better than the world’s.

Why does the natural man think God’s teaching and wisdom is foolish, after all, didn’t God create man in His image? Shouldn’t that give man His wisdom? Unfortunately, this is what Satan tempted Adam and Eve with in the Garden. See Genesis 3. There were two things going on in the Garden. The first, the Serpent, or Satan, was intent on causing God’s beautiful creation to crash and burn. The second, Adam and Eve made a choice to not trust God. If instead of listening to the Serpent they would have ran to God and asked Him what to do, they would not have made that same choice. God’s wisdom, would have given them the understanding to know what Satan was plotting.

Sin is what took away the ability to know and understand God’s wisdom. What God intended to be the norm, a regular, intimate, relationship with Him, became obscured by the veil of sin. It is only by giving our lives to Him in an intentional choice to trust Him, that we receive the Helper and the ability to know God and understand His teaching and wisdom.

“12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

— 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 (NASB 1995)

What we see in our country right now is the spirit of the natural man fighting against what they see as the foolishness of God, because they can’t understand it. Why does this surprise us? God has always had a better way, but He allowed mankind to make their own choices and He still does, even to the point of violence and persecution.

“5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

— John 1:5 (NASB 1995)

15 - But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

Image by Thomas from Pixabay

Seeing that our Creator is a spiritual being, and when we are in Him we are also spiritual beings, we are able to appraise, or to use a more unfavorable word, judge, all things. (I thought that chicken looked pretty judgmental to me. what do you think? Ha, ha.) What does this mean? In simple language it means that we are able to look at everything around us and discern what is actually happening. For instance, the things that are happening in our country are looked at political and idealogical differences, but one who has the Spirit of God, knows there is a spiritual element to these things. Of course if we speak that, we are seen as even more ridiculous and unaware. What is most concerning to me is the disparity in the church. We know it is okay to have differences of opinion, but when that turns into anger, and anger turns into hate, then as people with God’s Spirit we need to step back and recognize the spiritual side of things.

With regard to the second half of that verse, we are appraised by no one. In other words, people can judge us on the outside. If I commit a crime I will go to court and be sentenced, but only God judges our eternal soul. Only He knows where we are at spiritually. That, to me, is why it is important to get to know people and have dialogue with people. We may find we have a lot more in common than we do differences.

16a - For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him?

Image by srfparis from Pixabay

There is not one person on this planet that knows the mind of the Lord to the extent that he is able to instruct Him. God doesn’t have to be teachable. He knows everything. The theological word for this characteristic is omniscient. It is not just knowing things like 2+2=4, or that all matter is made up of atoms, and all the other billions of bytes of data in the world. Omniscience includes an awareness, understanding and insight. God doesn’t just know stuff, He knows us. Isn’t that mind bending? Read through Psalm 139. God knows our thoughts, when we lay down, when we rise, where we go, what we are going to say, and the very condition of our heart. He knows every child ever used in the sex trade. He knows every tumor rooting itself in a human’s body. He knows where your lost cat is. He knows the pain you carry deep beneath your smiling exterior.

To the natural man, this doesn’t make sense. In fact, it may be the case they don’t want it to make sense. Knowing that there is a being who knows your every thought, your every pain, your every dark sin is too much. The crazy part is, He knows all that and still He loves us. He loves you, and He wants you, every single bit…the good, the bad, and the dark ugly.

16b - But we have the mind of Christ.

Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay

Perhaps it is because I have the mind of Christ that as I have been typing this I want to fall to my knees and cry. Not only to shed tears for so many who are hurting, angry, and lost, but for my own wretched soul. He has done it all. He has provided a way when there was no way. He provided a light in the darkness, a path through rocky mountain slopes; food for my peckish soul and water for my dried up heart. He has done it all, and I have nothing to boast about, except in Him.

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 8

I have been doing a series that looks more in depth at the first couple of chapters of 1 Corinthians. You can see each of the previous parts in this series by clicking on the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7. Today we are going to dive deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Image by Aritha from Pixabay

“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Let’s get a running start at the next few verses.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

If you read through last week’s post you know that when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior we do not receive the spirit of the world, which has to do with the mindset of the world, a mindset that is against God and all He wants us to know. We receive the Spirit who is from God, or the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit as a help so that we might know the things of God which are freely given to us.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us understanding of God’s mind and ways. He gives us understanding of the Words of God in the Holy Scriptures, and He enables us to have God’s wisdom in all situations.

…which things we also speak…

Image by Naveen Goyal from Pixabay

Paul was referring to himself and the preaching, teaching and letter writing he was doing for the churches

…not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit…

Image by Raindom from Pixabay

Paul, is one of the most famous of the apostles, whose own testimony tells of him persecuting the Christian church with a fervor that included having many believers imprisoned and killed. On the road to Damascus Jesus appeared to him (at the time Saul) in a bright, blinding light and questioned, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (See Acts 9.) Saul became Paul and became a major contributor to the spread of the Gospel.

This same Paul was not teaching or preaching words that came from his own human wisdom, but words taught to him by the Holy Spirit. While he was alive at the time of many of the disciples, he was not one of the twelve that originally lived and walked with Jesus. His learning was not first hand, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, just as ours is.

I love this, especially when I feel utterly stupid in my Christian faith. Obviously, I know lots of things, just as Paul did, but my book learning is not what drives me to write these posts. I do it as a ministry of the Holy Spirit to encourage anyone in their Christian walk. Believe me, I have had numerous moments where I have been ready to give it all up, but it is then that I get that little prodding in the back of my mind. Even if only one person benefits there is a ripple affect with a single drop of water.

…combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words

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“27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

— I John 2:27 (NASB 1995)

I came across this verse in 1 John some months ago and and it keeps coming back around to me. It talks about our anointing which we received from Him and abides in us. This anointing is not something special that only comes to those who are prayed over for the ministry. His anointing is the living, breathing, Holy Spirit inside of us when we accept Christ.

As we see with Paul, and I would say even someone like Charlie Kirk, they did not need a theology degree to speak, preach or teach. They got their words, responses, messages from the Holy Spirit who dwelled inside of them. This verse clearly tells us that we have no need for anyone to teach us because the Holy Spirit teaches us about all things and He is true and not a lie.

Now, do we need to be careful to not take this out of context and start spouting off anything that comes to mind? Yes! But do we need to hide the light of Christ under a bushel because we are not “educated” and might not know what to say? No!! We are meant to be the light of Christ in a dark world, and can be confident engaging people in conversations about Christ because His Holy Spirit lives in us.

I will add to this idea next time as we finish off this chapter.

Have a great week and remember you are anointed by God and have the Holy Spirit in you. Abide in Him and shine His light!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About: Part 7

We have been looking at verses from I Corinthians 1 and 2. We have learned that the cross of Christ, born of God’s wisdom for a sinful world, is seen as foolishness to the very humanity it is able to save. We have also learned that God does not think as we think. He uses the very things we see as foolish and ridiculous to save the lost and confound the wisest individuals. In addition we have discovered God’s intention in choosing the foolish and weak things of the world was to remind us that without him we are nothing. We were created to be a reflection of His glory and every one of us bears His image.

Image by EmilyNumen from Pixabay

Last time, we began learning about the Holy Spirit’s part in our lives and in the work of revelation of God’s truth. Paul, himself, who determined to “know nothing…except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” recognized it was the Holy Spirit and His power that gave his preaching the desired outcome of people coming to know Jesus. We also learned it is God, through the Spirit, who reveals His truth to us, for it is His Spirit that searches and knows the very depths of God.

“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

I want to take a closer look at the next two verses in this passage.

For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

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There are individuals who claim to be able to read our minds. They may have some sort of ability, but it is most likely they are extremely intuitive and can read people through their actions, words, body language and facial expressions. The point of the above question is that no one can truly know what is inside of us except our own spirit, or our own being.

Today it seems that many people do not even have that knowledge or understanding. People read books, listen to podcasts, go to psychiatrists, psychologists and others to help them understand themselves and even decipher what they are thinking. It seems to me, the further we have grown in the areas of knowledge and understanding the less we really know. Knowing these limitations is there any doubt that we cannot fully know or understand the Holy God?

Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

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God is so far beyond our ability to truly understand, and our earthly wisdom, as we have seen already, is foolishness when it comes to knowing Him. However, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, this same one who becomes part of us when we give our lives to Christ, He knows the thoughts of God.

You see, the Holy Spirit is not just the after thought of the God head when Jesus knew his ascension was soon to take place. The Holy Spirit is a living and active part of the trinity.

He was there at the beginning:

“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”

— Genesis 1:1-2 (NASB 1995)

He was involved in human industry:

“1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. ”

— Exodus 31:1-5 (NASB 1995)

He was involved in governance:

“16 The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.
17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone. ”

— Numbers 11:16-17 (NASB 1995)

See also the book of Judges as well as I Samuel 16:13.

The Holy Spirit was also regularly involved in prophecy, coming on whomever the Lord willed and speaking through them to those who needed to hear the prophetic word. This third person of the Triune God has been busy from the beginning of our world, and it is He who knows the thoughts of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God…

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Note there is a difference between the spirit of the world, and the Spirit from God. The spirit of the world is not seen as a proper noun, and it has to do with the mindset and attitude prevalent in the world. This mindset is anti-God, and moves to create a culture that is only set on serving itself.

On the other hand, the Spirit of God is completely in tune with the Father and the Son. He moves with them, agrees with them and is in complete communion with them. Jesus told us we would receive this helper. This Holy Being is the one we receive when we give our hearts and lives to Jesus. Isn’t that just mind blowing?

“26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

— John 14:26 (NASB 1995)

Why did the the triune God head make this choice to send this helper?

…so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.

Image by Bob Dmyt from Pixabay

We would be in error to say God does not love us, care for us, or want to be intimate with us. He gave us One who knows Him. He gave us a part of Himself; a part that knows His very depths. Without this amazing helper we cannot know God. No matter how much head knowledge a person develops over time; no matter how much historical date a person can dredge up, there is only one way to truly know God, and that is by believing in the work of Jesus Christ and by receiving the Holy Spirit.

We will look a bit more at this work of the Holy Spirit in our lives next time. Until then, keep fanning the flame!