Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing …
What is the best way to decode what God is saying? Over the years since the days of Moses, there have been two general approaches to this problem. One approach is to listen to God’s Word with an open heart and an open mind, willing to follow God wherever he leads. The other approach is to try and smoosh God’s Word into a box that fits with our personal expectations.
The problem with the first approach is that opening our hearts and minds to God’s will is hard. There are a lot of things that clutter up the path to the door and pushing them to the side is difficult. What makes this especially challenging is that we get so used to having these things in the front hall of our hearts. We think of these things as belonging there when all that stuff is junk that we have collected over the years. Just because we have gotten attached to it doesn’t make it right.
Instead of using God’s Word as a guide for cleaning house, people are prone to package His Word into book form and then stick it on a shelf in the hall with all of the other stuff.
“See!” we say, “I’ve got the Bible right up there.” All the while not realizing that having the Bible doesn’t count if we don’t use the Bible to help us live as God wants us to live.
The Jews in the days before Jesus lived had every sign that the Messiah was coming. Their problem was that they had expectations. They expected God to fit their mold. They assumed that God appreciated all they had done for him. They got so wrapped up in their logic and their reasoning that they were certain they understood who God was and how he would act. Sadly, they were horribly wrong.
To search intently and with the greatest care requires that we put ourselves aside. Not just ourselves, but our expectations. What we believe and think we know can be wrong. Wise men understand this. While the Pharisees and the teachers of the law comforted themselves with imaginings of a messiah that would lead them to victory over the Romans, wiser men were studying the stars and the ancient texts looking for clues that would point them to a baby in a manger.
Application: Listen to the Spirit of Christ.
Food for Thought: How can we better prepare our minds and hearts to accept what the Spirit of Christ has for us to hear?
We can foster a good environment to hear what the Spirit is telling us by setting aside time for studying His word, prayer, worship, fellowship, etc. The spiritual disciplines combined with the right motivation of pursuing a relationship with Christ create a healthy environment for growth. Philippians 3: 12 – 14.
Rich,
Thank you! The Philippians passage is very interesting!
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Being a Christian is not a matter of simply having one’s ticket “punched.” Like Paul, we strain towards what is ahead and press on to the goal.
Understanding that we might not get our own way, but can have joy God wants things to turn out
Rob
Thank you! God does indeed want us to have joy!! If we can just get out of our own way… 🙂
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 For He has given us absolutely everything necessary for a dynamic spiritual life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises of inexpressible value, so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.
Being a christian is a way of life, not a merit badge. God has provided the power, and a willing heart. We need to cooperate, personal, transforming bible studies with the Lord are the place to begin. Get in a group with other christian men or couples, study and discuss what God is telling us in His word. Apply what God reveals to our lives and enjoy the peace the world cannot provide.
Don’t tell Jeff, but being part of this Blog is a great start.
Hmmm…
No secrets here, Ron!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts today and pointing us to Peter’s most excellent encouragement. There is real “merit” in what you say, but I won’t “badger” you about it. 🙂
👍🏻