"Hidden from the Wise" from "Experiencing God Day-by-Day Devotional" by Henry T. Blackaby
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. (Luke 10:21)
One hindrance to hearing a word from God may be our own wisdom. Wisdom, like success, can delude us to think we should take the role of teacher rather than student. Our knowledge lulls us into thinking we have sufficient wisdom to meet any challenge. Believing we are wise tempts us to evaluate the shortcomings of others_yet be unaware of how much growth is still required_in ourselves.
The Pharisees were the religious experts of their day. They possessed much information about God, but they had no personal relationship with Him. Their knowledge clouded their view of their condition before God. Jesus thanked His Father that it was not to these “experts” that the Father had revealed spiritual truth, but rather to those who were humble and who recognized their need for God’s revelation.
When religious leaders experience spiritual failure, their downfall is often met with surprise. It shouldn’t be. Religious people with the most knowledge are sometimes the ones least responsive to God’s Word. Knowledge can easily lead to pride, and pride impedes us from seeking God.
How do you know if you are a “Pharisee”? When you do not have a teachable spirit. When you become defensive if a fellow Christian shares a concern about your spiritual condition. When you do not seek to hear from God, believing you already know what He thinks. When you feel that you are capable of helping others in their spiritual lives, but no one can teach you anything. Don’t allow the limited knowledge you now have to blind you to the great truths God still wants to reveal to you.
((I read this on Sunday, 10/22 and knew immediately that I had to post it. There is an eery truth to his words that are finding application in my life and with my current experiences. Does anyone else see it for their situation? Please comment!))
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7 comments:
I read this yesterday morning, Rich, and it spoke to me as well. The key here is definitely the teachable spirit part. Two people can have abundant amounts of knowledge in equal measure, but one can have a crispy spirit and one a teachable spirit. It kind of boils down to what you do with what you've learned. Do you "lord" it over others or do you humbly share? Do you judge others or do you accept them where they are? I think we all at times can relate to both spirits. But half the battle is in recognizing that both exist in the first place.
I will watch out for crispiness in your spirit if you will do the same for me!
I see this "teachable spirit" more NOW than I have in the past years in myself. It is so easy to get on our "high horse" and lose sight of what our faith is all about and not even realize we are doing that. I have been wondering and praying about how I may have unintentionally turned people off from Christ by my "religious actions". I cannot believe how many MORE opportunites I have had lately to talk freely about the Lord because I am not trying to "evangelize" every word I say. Does that make sense? My mind is open, I am talking, I am listening and I am eager to hear what non-Christians have to say. My spirit is teachable now more than ever and I cannot believe the doors that are opening for me to witness without "Bible thumping" people. I definitely had Pharasee tendancies, but today I feel like I am really beginning to loosen and allow God to do the work through me instead of me taking the reins and charging in like a knight. This is a great post Rich. This is further confirmation that I am right where God wants me right now.
Okay, before everybody starts freaking out, this is not the same "looking in from the outside"...
But, who are you? Obviously someone disgruntled with a certain pastor, eh?
Just curious...
hey susie,
i like the "crispiness" of spirit phrase! and yes, i'll take some accountability any time. great insight.
vicki,
thanks for sharing insight from your experiences. it's incredible how many opportunities He gives us~~ and how many we recognize and TAKE.
outside looking in,
thanks for posting... i'm not sure who you are or the pastor to whom you refer, perhaps you could expound on your story if it's applicable. i look forward to hearing more from you.
Cool, I'll look forward to it...
What I read here was a wonderful post about remaining teachable. To me, it was about keeping your spiritual condition open to learning more about Christ in order to be able to hear a word from Him. And then I read the comments...
Why do people want to turn this into an indictment of where they were and who they knew? That's so sad and completely misses the point.
Which pastor is right? The one who stayed or the one who left? My answer would be it depends on what God places on your heart - assuming you keep your spirit open to hearing a word from Him.
Read the second to last paragraph again - and then read it one more time. For those who've stayed AND for those who left: How many of us have become defensive in the ensuing spiritual discussion?
We're not hearing each other and we're not learning from each other because we want to be right over each other. Maybe it's time for us to simply be righteous with each other.
We're still on the same team. Get over the past and get on with God's future. While the finger is still extended, turn it back towards yourself and see what you can learn.
As far as deciding who should repent, I'll start with myself.
"Why do people want to turn this into an indictment of where they were and who they knew? That's so sad and completely misses the point."
Laurence, I hope you are not generally directing this at us all, because as far as I can tell, the only one who is approaching what you are talking about is Outside Looking In, and we don't even know who that is. I read the other comments again, and I couldn't really find anything that would cause upset, just open dialogue. Let me know what you are thinking...I often think you are seeing offense/defense where none is intended, and unfortunately it gets us all riled up in negative ways. Help me to understand where you are coming from here...I love you and respect you, and yet I so often don't understand your thinking.
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