God's Spirit: perception and power

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post in the archives, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. As you read, I encourage you to add in any reflections or comments you may have.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Thursday, February 25, 2010
Devotions: Ps 19, 46, 50; Gen 39; 1 Cor 2:14-3:15; Mk 2:1-12

God’s glory and His handiwork are eloquently proclaimed—look to the heavens, look around on this wondrous earth. The rhythms of light and darkness speak and declare deep truths about God, in wordless language accessible to every sentient being. See the sun, gleaming forth in the dawning, like a glorious bridegroom emerging to his wedding, or a marvelous athlete rejoicing in running a race to its end. God’s law is perfect, reviving souls; His testimony is certain, making wise the simple; His precepts are righteous, rejoicing the heart; His commands are pure, giving deep sight to the eyes; fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; God’s ordinances are true and altogether righteous. God’s message is more desirable than gold, sweeter than finest honey. By His truths we are warned, and in keeping them, we receive great reward! But there is an end to human enlightenment; Lord, I depend on You to clear me from faults I cannot perceive; overrule me when I would commit presumptuous sins—let me be Mastered by God and not by iniquity! And Lord: let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, my Lord, my Rock and Redeemer. YHWH is our Refuge and Strength, the most real help in times of trouble. So I will not fear, though the earth be shaken to its roots, mountains trembling, oceans roaring. Consider the lovely river that graces the city of God, holy habitation of the Most High. With God as her Foundation, she shall not be moved. Nations rage, kingdoms totter; God speaks, and the earth melts! YHWH Sabaoth is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge. Consider God’s works, and be still; know that I Am God, exalted above the nations, Master over all the earth. YHWH Sabaoth is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge. The Mighty One, God the Lord, roars and summons all the earth; from Zion, God’s perfection shines! Our God comes; He does not keep silence. Before Him is consuming fire; around Him is a mighty tempest. God summons heavens and earth to Himself, to sit under His covenant and judgment. ‘Hear, my people: I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; they are ever before Me. But I accept no animal sacrifice—I own everything: every wild animal, every domestic beast, all the birds of the air, all that creeps on earth! If I were hungry, I would not tell you. What I want is this: a sacrifice of thanksgiving; an honest commitment; fulfilled promises. Do this, and call on Me in your day of trouble, and I will deliver you and you will glorify Me.’ To the wicked, our God says, ‘You have no right to recite My statutes. You hate discipline, you ignore My words. You befriend thieves, you keep company with adulterers and idolaters. You speak lies; you gossip against your own relatives. I Am not ignorant. Whoever brings thanksgiving honors Me, and to those who walk in righteousness, I will show God’s own salvation.’

After being sold into slavery, Joseph was taken to the household of his new master, Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh’s personal guard. God prospered everything Joseph did, and his master made Joseph overseer of his household and all he possessed. And YHWH blessed Potiphar on Joseph’s account. After a time, Potiphar’s wife took notice of Joseph, who was very handsome; she repeatedly asked him to lie with her. Joseph refused, saying ‘My master has no concern about his estate, because he has put everything under my authority—except for you, his wife. I cannot commit this great wickedness and sin against God.’ The woman persisted. One day, when no one else was in the house, Potiphar’s wife caught Joseph by his sleeve and again demanded, ‘Lie with me!’ But Joseph immediately left the house, leaving his garment in her hand. In spite, she called in the men of her household and falsely accused Joseph: ‘See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us; he came in to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice, so he ran away, leaving his garment with me.’ She set aside Joseph’s garment and repeated the accusation when Potiphar came home that evening. Potiphar was angry and put Joseph into the king’s prison. But once again, YHWH favored Joseph, and the keeper of the prison looked on him with favor, and committed all the prisoners to Joseph’s care. Whatever Joseph did, YHWH made it prosper.

Paul wrote: The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit—they are folly to him; he cannot understand them, because that is possible only by spiritual discernment. The man guided by the Spirit judges everything correctly, but is himself judged by no one. As was written, ‘For whom has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of the Messiah! However, my brothers and sisters, I could not address you as Spirit-filled adults, but rather as fleshy men, babes in the Messiah. I fed you milk, not solid spiritual food—you weren’t ready before, and you’re not ready now. Look at you: jealousy, strife—you’re acting out of the flesh, like ordinary people! That’s the source of your factions—only unspiritual mortals would say ‘I belong to Paul’ or ‘I belong to Apollos.’ He and I are simply servants, through whom you came to believe as the Lord directed. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the soil, the seed and the growth. Neither one who plants nor one who waters is anything special—but only God Who gives the growth. We who plant and water are equal, and will be rewarded according to our labor. We are God’s fellow workers, and you are God’s field, God’s building. I laid a foundation like a master builder; now another is building on that foundation. Let every one take care how he labors. There can be no other foundation than Jesus the Messiah. Whatever is constructed on this base will be manifest on the Day of God’s judgment: God’s fire will show if the building is with gold, silver, precious gems, wood, hay or straw! If the work survives God’s test, the builder will be duly rewarded. If anyone’s work is burned up, no reward—the man will be saved, but like one who escapes from a fire without any goods.

Jesus returned to His base in Capernaum, and when word got around, so many thronged the house that no one could get near as Jesus was preaching the word to the crowd. Four men came, carrying among them a man who was paralyzed. They climbed to the roof, tore an opening, and lowered the man on his pallet to a place near Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’ Some Jewish lawyers were sitting nearby, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man say this? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’ Immediately, perceiving in His Spirit their questioning, Jesus said to them, ‘Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier: to tell this man “Your sins are forgiven,” or to tell him "Rise, take up your pallet and walk”? So that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ Jesus now spoke to the paralyitic, ‘I say to you: rise, take up your pallet, and go home.’ And immediately, the man rose, took up his pallet, and went out, before all present. The witnesses were amazed and glorified God, saying ‘We never saw anything like this!’