Showing posts with label knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knowledge. Show all posts
Posted by
Genesis Ministries
comments (0)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free. Luke 4:18
...or do we think we know it all? That question is at the core of whether or not we receive the Word of God and drink it in with passion. If we think we already know it all, then there is nothing to be gained by allowing the Gospel to mold us and shape us. There is no difference and no room for anything more from God. Even Jesus recognized that this would be the case with some, acknowledging that "no prophet is accepted in his own native place." When the Word of God conflicts with how we think life should be, aren't we truthfully tempted to make excuses?
Well, the writers of the Bible weren't familiar with other possibilities... (Isn't God the supreme Author and doesn't His knowledge encompass all infinite possibilities of what is and can be?)
Yes, but things in their day were very different and not as advanced... (Isn't the core of the Word always true? And didn't Jesus challenge the customs and authorities of his day?)
To live a gospel life is to live contrary to secular culture. To live a gospel life is to continue to die to ourselves each morning and to let Christ in more with each breath. As contrary as it is to modern thought to let another rule our lives, if we do not admit our own poverty, we can never obtain the saving grace our soul seeks, and we may never breathe that sigh of relief that comes with letting go and letting God do the work within us.
Well, the writers of the Bible weren't familiar with other possibilities... (Isn't God the supreme Author and doesn't His knowledge encompass all infinite possibilities of what is and can be?)
Yes, but things in their day were very different and not as advanced... (Isn't the core of the Word always true? And didn't Jesus challenge the customs and authorities of his day?)
To live a gospel life is to live contrary to secular culture. To live a gospel life is to continue to die to ourselves each morning and to let Christ in more with each breath. As contrary as it is to modern thought to let another rule our lives, if we do not admit our own poverty, we can never obtain the saving grace our soul seeks, and we may never breathe that sigh of relief that comes with letting go and letting God do the work within us.
Posted by
Genesis Ministries
comments (0)
His care is to seek the LORD, his Maker, to petition the Most High, To open his lips in prayer, to ask pardon for his sins. Then, if it pleases the LORD Almighty, he will be filled with the spirit of understanding; He will pour forth his words of wisdom and in prayer give thanks to the LORD,Who will direct his knowledge and his counsel, as he meditates upon his mysteries. Sirach 39:6-7 (NAB)
"Being smart is not the same as being wise." A friend shared these words of her pastor with me last night as we were talking, and the profundity of the simple statement struck me as so very timely. We can get so busy seeking out knowledge on matters, we sometimes don't stop to think where that "knowledge" is originating. Are we simply seeking to seem smart, or are we really asking to gain wisdom? They are two very different things. Google and Wiki can get us facts, but the veracity of them is not always so reliable. Having worked with college students, I can't even remember the number of times we had to remind them to not just rely on the internet, but to check the source of their information.
As you pray today, consider where you get your information. In this time of political and ideological debate, to whom do we turn for counsel and wisdom? If not God, are we getting the real truth?
Doesn't God give us the same instruction for life? There is a lot of information out there, and some of it seems like it is pretty true. Do we ever stop, though, to consider the source? Do we enter into prayer when it is a matter of justice, faith and morals, to open our mind to the counsel and wisdom of God, to ask for His understanding, which far surpasses our own? In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus proclaiming the Greatest Commandment - Love God with heart, mind and soul. If we consider that love is sacrifice, maybe what he is really asking is to surrender our minds to God, along with our hearts and souls, for God's goodness to fill that instrument as well.
"Being smart is not the same as being wise." A friend shared these words of her pastor with me last night as we were talking, and the profundity of the simple statement struck me as so very timely. We can get so busy seeking out knowledge on matters, we sometimes don't stop to think where that "knowledge" is originating. Are we simply seeking to seem smart, or are we really asking to gain wisdom? They are two very different things. Google and Wiki can get us facts, but the veracity of them is not always so reliable. Having worked with college students, I can't even remember the number of times we had to remind them to not just rely on the internet, but to check the source of their information.
As you pray today, consider where you get your information. In this time of political and ideological debate, to whom do we turn for counsel and wisdom? If not God, are we getting the real truth?
Doesn't God give us the same instruction for life? There is a lot of information out there, and some of it seems like it is pretty true. Do we ever stop, though, to consider the source? Do we enter into prayer when it is a matter of justice, faith and morals, to open our mind to the counsel and wisdom of God, to ask for His understanding, which far surpasses our own? In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus proclaiming the Greatest Commandment - Love God with heart, mind and soul. If we consider that love is sacrifice, maybe what he is really asking is to surrender our minds to God, along with our hearts and souls, for God's goodness to fill that instrument as well.
