The challenge of walking with the God who knows me
Names changed throughout except in some cases where the person involved has been or is in ministry.
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If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Cor 5:17
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Psalm 19:7
“The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”
God has many different gifts for many different people. Together we make up the body with Jesus as our head. We are all together and we need each other, all of us, without exception. One of the gifts God seems to have endowed me with is a gift of insight. I can be talking about a situation with someone, and for some reason I know what the heart issue is, or on a technical front I can see a solution, or with a Bible text there is some insight that brings the whole passage to light. This gift can be used for good or for bad. The good sides are relatively easy to see, but people have pointed out that my insights can cause pain, that is especially true if I am giving them out to show off to everyone how cleaver I am. While working on a leadership team with some other student workers. I was asked to lead the discussions for the meetings. They only asked me two or three times, because I would see where the discussion was going and try to get there too quickly. Others wanted to make sure that they had talked through the issues properly, before we go to the action points. I wanted to make sure that we arrived at the end of the agenda.
With this attitude came another, a despising of those who were simple. I would read the text above and think. Wow! God can even make someone who is simple seem wise if they obey his word. I of course was ‘wise’ already. As Jesus began to work in me in new ways, he also began to show me that I had things completely upside down. As I was pondering on the great reversal that seems to be such a dominant theme to Jesus’ teaching – ‘But many who are first will be last and the last first.’ (Mark 10:31) it suddenly came to me that it is actually primarily the simple who can receive his word, or be made wise.
It occurred to me that when I am being simple, then I can simply accept what Jesus has to say to me. If, as I am reading the Bible, he points out to me some sin, then I can respond. When on the other hand I am being ‘wise’, then I respond with all of the complications. I throw in so many complications that in the end it is impossible, so I don’t do it. When I am wise then I am proud in my wisdom and cannot accept the things that Jesus is whispering in my ear. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) All to often I come to God in spiritual wealth. Either I have it all sorted out, or I am wealthy in the insights that he has given. Yet to come before him, I need to come before Jesus as one who is empty and has nothing. It is only in such a state that he can fill me, it is only in such a state that he can fill me with the abundance of the kingdom of heaven. The problem is that it is easier said than done. I cannot work up a state of understanding that I am too full of myself to accept Jesus, even if rationally I know it. Even here I need him to work it in me. Even here I must kneel before the Father and say Lord have mercy on me a sinner, show me my pride that I may repent. Show me my emptiness that I may be able to ask you to fill it.
BEING SIMPLE
