The Holy Spirit and the Word: Part 1
Memory Passage
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:11
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:10-15
.. but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: ..
Insights
"The Bible sits on the shelf, so intimidating. How could I ever understand it?
I'll just give the expert a call, I'll just wait to hear what the preacher says. But
we surely will go astray if we don't use the Manual, get acquainted with it,
figure it out, apply it to life. Yet that thick Manual can be intimidating! How
can I understand it? Isn't it great that we can have our own personal guide?
We know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and
his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets...And
God has actually given us his Spirit...so we can know the wonderful things God
has freely given us...But people who aren't Christians can't understand these
truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who
have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means (1 Corinthians 2:10-15,
NLT). Without the Spirit we are sure to go astray, misread the Manual, punch
the wrong keys, mess up. No wonder He's called the Comforter!" -Robertson
McQuilken, Life in the Spirit
Consider this!
The Word of God, the Bible, can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be.
When we approach it in cooperation with the illuminating ministry of the Holy
Spirit, it truly does come to life and we find it applicable for daily living.
(Illumination is that work of the Holy Spirit by which He enlightens the
believer's mind to properly interpret and apply God's Word to the believer's
life.) God speaks to us personally. But if we approach it from an intellectual
basis, trying to gain knowledge from our human and limited point of view
without the perspective and power of the Holy Spirit, we end up with
knowledge and little to no impact on our lives. Every believer struggles with
understanding and application of the truth found in God's Word. Know this, it
is the Holy Spirit that will make the "Manual" come alive, revealing the true
and living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Personal Reflection
- For every believer there are times when the Word is difficult to understand.
What do you do when you find a passage that is difficult for you?
- What resources do you have to help gain greater understanding of the Word?
- Think back to a passage that was once difficult for you but now you
understand. Can you see how the Spirit gave you enlightenment to help you
understand? Write a prayer of thanksgiving for the work of the Spirit in
illumination. Pray for continued guidance as you read the Word.
|
