Good day and good Wednesday. What a beautiful cool morning! Last night was the first night we slept with the bedroom windows open. What a great feeling to pull up the covers tight when its about 55 degrees outside. That’s good sleep.
We continue to have additional stuff done around the house and a lot is going on in the next week. We have a few big red oak trees in the front yard and they have not been touched in years and really need some help, so our tree guy is coming out today to trim and prune. I had always thought that tree trimming was simple, easy and brainless until we had a ‘real’ arborist tree trimmer get ahold of our trees. This guy is a master and can make trees look like a postcard, its amazing. We’re also putting up a fence that will block off our backyard from the neighbor. Since we’re in a duplex, the backyard right now is just one big common space. We just bought a spa at the state fair so the privacy will be much needed to really enjoy it. Since the spa is coming on the 19th, today we’re laying the foundation for it and then the electrician is coming out next week to wire in the lead for the power. My back will be oh so ready for a daily soak after laying all these pavers! Also, our shower that was redone a few months back needed a little touch up work so we’ve got the tile guy coming back out in the morning. Oh, the joys of home ownership, there’s always something to do!
This morning we’re in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and we’re hearing Paul tell us of the clarity of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Specifically, the wisdom and guidance that we are given from the Holy Spirit. Paul starts off following up chapter 1 with the fact that faith must not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. We touched on this in yesterday’s 5MC, if you missed it, you can check it out under the 1 Corinthians tab where all the posts are.
So we are here on this Earth to serve God, but how are we to know His perfect plans if we are imperfect creatures? By the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we confess that we are unrighteous sinners before God and are in need of a savior and accept Jesus as that savior, we are saved by the grace of God. Upon this confession we are given the gift of a helper. A gift of a Godly guide. The gift of God’s Spirit. The Spirit of a living God will come and rest within you and reveal the things of God to you. This is the only way that you can truly know the things of God. Without the Holy Spirit we are deaf to His voice. Without the Holy Spirit we are blind to His work. Without the Holy Spirit we are lost to His direction.
Check out what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:10-15 about the Holy Spirit, His role and His capabilities.
“For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the Spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person understands all things but is himself to be understood by no one.”
Paul sums it up beautifully here. When we accept Jesus as our savior the gift of the Holy Spirit allows us to spiritually understand the ways of God. In 1 Cor 2:7 Paul calls it the “secret and hidden wisdom of God.” You see the only way we can know the thoughts of God is through God, through His Holy Spirit. You need God to understand God, there is no other way. Left alone we can never expect to understand the God of the universe.
Paul goes on to say that this is a gift possessed by all that have called upon the name of Jesus Christ to save them from their sins. He then speaks of the “natural person.” Who is the natural person? Well, it’s the unsaved individual that has not accepted Christ. Because of this they do not have the Holy Spirit and are not allowed to see the “secret and hidden wisdom of God.” They are blind to His work. This is why in the famous hymn Amazing Grace the author states that “I was blind but know I see.” Without the power of the Holy Spirit we are blind to God, His plan, His power and His wisdom. When we accept Christ and are gifted the Holy Spirit our eyes are opened to His wonders, His “secret and hidden wisdom.” Without Christ, the natural man, cannot see and does not accept the things of God. He is blind to the work of God. In fact, Paul tells us not only is he blind to the ways of God but it is “folly” to him. Folly is defined as “a lack of good sense.” Paul is saying that the natural man, the unbelieving man, is lacking the good sense to understand God. Paul goes on to say that the man that has the Spirit understands all but his ways cannot be understood by the natural man. Paul is crystal clear here in the power of the Spirit, who has it and who doesn’t.
The two biggest gifts that God has left for us here in this sinful world is His Holy Spirit and His Holy Word. God did not leave us here without tools or weapons. We are fully equipped to handle the evil and sin of this world utilizing these two amazing gifts. I pray that you are spending daily time in God’s Word and through the power of the Holy Spirit He is revealing His wisdom, peace and joy to you.
Bless someone today with the encouraging words of God.
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