Tozer Devotional-Exploring Divine Revelation

Exploring Divine Revelation

God has given us a broad world of truth for our spiritual and intellectual habitation. This universe of truth is to the human soul as limitless as the air to a bird or the sea to a fish. There the Christian mind can luxuriate at perfect liberty. While the ages unfold the believer will need no more than has been already given, for it represents the broad and manifold will of God, the happy home of saints and angels.

This vast sea of truth is expressed in nature, in the Holy Scriptures and in Christ, the Wisdom of God incarnate. Its rational phase can be reduced to a creed which may be learned as one would learn any other truth, and which when so learned constitutes Christian orthodoxy, best and most perfectly embodied in the beliefs of modern evangelical Christianity.

But we must also remember that orthodoxy is not synonymous with Procrustean uniformity. We may bring every thought into accord with divine revelation without sacrificing our intellectual freedom. We can be orthodox without becoming mentally stultified. We can believe every tenet of the Christian creed and still leave our imagination free to roam at will through the broad worlds of nature and grace. We are free but not “freethinkers.”

http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=734

In God’s Perfect Time by Mark D. Roberts

Ephesians 1:8-10

With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 1:8-10

Today’s passage reveals that God has “made known to us the mystery of his will.” He did this willingly, with delight. This mystery is focused in Christ, just like the rest of God’s saving work. Moreover, we’re told that God’s mystery is “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment” (1:10).

This translation of the first part of verse 10 could be translated more literally, “as a plan for the fullness of the times.” The Greek word for “plan” is oikonomia, from which we get our word “economy.” Oikonomia is a combination of the Greek words oikos (house) and nomos (law). It was used in Greek for the management of a home or even the state. Thus, Paul’s point in Ephesians 1 is that God exercised his supreme authority over reality, even over time itself, to fulfill his plan at just the right moment. The saving, restoring work of Christ didn’t happen by accident, but according to God’s sovereign plan.

Thus, we are reminded today of God’s superintendence over all things, even time. God works all things together for good in the right time. Of course, God’s timing is not necessarily our own. Sometimes God seems inexcusably slow. Sometimes God surprises us with the swiftness of his grace. Yet, no matter how we might feel about God’s timing, it is always the best.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Have there been occasions in your life when you have questioned God’s timing? In retrospect, have you been able to see the wisdom of God‘s timing?

PRAYER: All-wise, all-powerful God, you order all things. You are sovereign even over time itself. Thus, you sent Christ at just the right time to fulfill your gracious purposes for creation. Thank you for your wisdom and grace.

As you know, Lord, sometimes I struggle with your timing. Often, you seem to move so slowly. I can easily become frustrated, even doubting you. Help me to be reassured that you work all things together for good in your time and in your way. Help me to trust you more, to seek you more, and to live each day in the fullness of your time for me. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/gods-perfect-time

With All Wisdom and Understanding by Mark D. Roberts

Ephesians 1:7-10

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.

Ephesians 1:7-9

In an earlier reflection, I explained that the eulogy in Ephesians 1:3-14 is actually one long sentence in Greek, comprising 202 words. This is one of the most complex sentences in the whole Bible, not only because of its length, but also because of the peculiar nature of Greek, which allows for considerable variability in the connections made between phrases. So, for example, the phrase “in love” in verse 4 can go with what proceeds “he chose us in love” or what follows “he predestined us in love.” In many cases, the finest scholars have come to no consensus on which option is the best.

We face a similar conundrum in verse 8 concerning the phrase “with all wisdom and understanding.” The NIV connects this phrase with what follows: “With all wisdom and understanding, [God] made known to us . . . .” But other fine translations, such as the Common English Bible, link this phrase to what comes earlier, “his overflowing grace, which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding.” Another challenge comes from the fact that the phrase “wisdom and understanding” can refer either to God’s own wisdom and understanding or to the wisdom and understanding that God give us.

Part of what makes interpretation of this verse so tricky is the fact that all options are theologically valid. God did lavish his grace on us with all of his own wisdom and understanding. And God did lavish his grace on us, including giving us wisdom and understanding. And God did make known the mystery of his will with his own wisdom and understanding. I’m inclined to believe that Paul made use of the flexibility in Greek to build a bridge between God’s gracious gift to us of wisdom and the wisdom of God in revealing to us his purposes. As my friend Thomas Yoder Neufeld writes in his commentary on Ephesians, “The phrase with all wisdom and insight is thus cleverly placed to relate equally well to both grace and revelation.”

Where does this leave us as we reflect on this verse? I am struck by the fact that God is the source of “all wisdom and understanding.” Yes, it’s true that we can gain knowledge through the use of our human faculties. But even these ultimately come from the God who designed our brains and sensory abilities. Yet, the ability to exercise wisdom, to know not just facts but what really matters, to choose what is best, comes as a gift from God. Thus, if I want to be wise, then I must open myself to God. I must seek him. And I must be ready to receive his truth and guidance.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you define “wisdom”? Can you think of people who are wise? What qualifies them as wise? Why are they wise? In what areas of your life do you need divine wisdom today?

PRAYER: Gracious God, thank you for the gifts of wisdom and understanding. Thank you for helping me to discern far beyond my own capabilities. Thank you for revealing your truth, your purposes, your plan.

Help me, dear Lord, to pay attention to you, to seek you, to rely on you. Keep me from self-reliance that presumes I have sufficient wisdom in myself. May I always be open to that which you want to communicate to me and through me.

All praise be to you, God of wisdom and understanding, God of grace and revelation. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/all-wisdom-and-understanding

Wandering From Wisdom

Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. —1 Kings 3:9

If God offered you anything you wanted, what would you ask for?

When Solomon was given that choice, he asked for the wisdom to discern good from evil so that he might lead God’s people well (1 Kings 3:9). “Because you have asked this thing,” God told Solomon, “I have done according to your words.” He even promised to give him “both riches and honor” (1 Kings 3:11-13). To this day, Solomon is remembered for the great wisdom God gave him.

Solomon began his rule with devotion to wisdom and a deep ambition to build a magnificent temple to honor God. But something happened along the way. His passion for living by God’s wisdom was displaced by the allures of the wealth and position God had given him. His marriage to foreign women who worshiped pagan gods eventually led him—and ultimately the nation—into idolatry.

The lesson is clear. Keeping our love for Christ and His wisdom preeminent is a primary objective for those of us who want to live to satisfy God throughout the course of our life. A commitment to following the riches of God’s wisdom will enable us to avoid the drift that destroyed Solomon.

Keep your heart in tune with God’s wisdom and obey His voice. That’s the way to finish well.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. —Robinson

Monitor your heart daily to avoid wandering from God’s wisdom.

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/wandering-from-wisdom/

Bull’s-eye

“…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:3

Here’s some bad news: left to ourselves, we’re not very good shots when it comes to living. We are, at the core, sinful, which explains why we lead such “ready-fire-aim” kind of lives. We are a lot like the village idiot who prided himself on being a great shot. After he shot his arrow at the side of the barn, he would then paint a bull’s-eye target around the arrow, painting the arrow into the center of the bull’s-eye.

But the bull’s-eye of life is not an I-want-my-life-to-be-like-this-thank-you barn-side painting. The bull’s-eye for life as it’s meant to be is already painted by the good and righteous ways of God. And since we are not inherently righteous, but rather fallen and frail, missing the target is a regular event.

In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the character named Cassius gets it right when he explains:

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Most of us excuse our miscues, or mistakes, by assigning them to fate and random bumps from the circumstances of life: “It’s not our fault. We’re victims. It’s in our stars.” But God’s take on our lives is that the fault does lie in us! Not that we are underlings as Cassius points out, but that we are born sinful, fallen, frail, and broken. By our very nature we’re wrong-headed. I have come to realize that my first instincts in a given situation are probably wrong. Granted, they don’t seem wrong. It seems right to get even; to stash away as much money as I can; to make sure that I am recognized and affirmed; to seek pleasure for myself; to live life to the full on my own terms; to do everything to dodge suffering and then resent it when suffering does invade my life; to try to be as strong as I can, because only the strong survive; and to yell at people who yell at me. But here is the warning: God says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12)! And we are reminded in Isaiah that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).

So let’s fess up! We need help. Because we are bent in the wrong direction, we are in desperate need of God’s wisdom to live right-headedly. And, where is that wisdom found?

In Jesus!

Paul makes this clear when he writes that he desires that our hearts be encouraged so that we “may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that [we] may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3).

Jesus knows the way. He has the wisdom to see life the way it should be lived. But beware! His wisdom will not seem right to you. He says to turn the other cheek, to die so that you can live, to give that you might gain, to forgive the same offense 490 times, to love your enemy, and to find meaning and productivity in suffering. Sound upside down to you? Sure it does. But it sounds that way, not because Jesus is upside down, but because we are.

The bull’s-eye of life is Jesus! Seek His wisdom and turn your “ready-fire-aim” life into blue- ribbon target shooting!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• When was the last time you stopped to evaluate whether or not your response was the response that Jesus would prompt you to do?
• Today, assume that your instincts to given situations will probably be wrong. Aim your heart to His wisdom by searching the Scripture, seeking the counsel of a godly friend, or praying that God would give you the wisdom He promised in James 1. Don’t fire until He aims your life in the right direction.
• What areas of your life tend to misfire on a regular basis? Start seeking God’s wisdom in one of those areas, and ask for His power to hit the target of His righteousness.
• http://getmorestrength.org/daily/bulls-eye/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetMoreStrength+%28Strength+For+The+Journey%29

The Foundation of Wisdom by Mark D. Roberts

Psalm 111:1-10

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.
     All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise him forever!

Psalm 111:10

Wisdom seems to be on the wane these days. Our society tends to value that which is trendy, spectacular, and instantaneous. Thus we tend to neglect wisdom, which is classic, unpretentious, and unhurried. Moreover, we are entranced by the audacity of youth rather than the prudence of maturity.

Yet, how desperately we need wisdom! Our political leaders need wisdom as they seek to guide us in uncertain times. Our business leaders need wisdom if they’re to help our economy recover its vitality. Our religious leaders need wisdom to deal with the rapidly changing culture in which we live. And you and I need wisdom each day: in our work, in our families, in our learning, and in our effort to be servants of Jesus Christ. We need to know, not only how to do things, and not only all the things we might do, but also which of those things are right and will be fruitful.

Psalm 111:10 shows us how to become wise: “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.” This core truth, which appears elsewhere in Scripture (Prov. 9:10, for example), reminds us that wisdom is not something we gain on our own. Rather, true wisdom comes as a result of knowing, honoring, reverencing, submitting to, and obeying God. That’s what the “fear of the Lord” is all about.

So, if you desire to be a better boss, or a better employee, or a better parent, or a better teacher, or a better leader, or a better friend, if you want to be someone who knows what’s best to do in any given situation, then fear the Lord! Live your whole life in reverent respect of God, seeking his guidance and glory in all you do.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “the fear of the Lord”? How can you grow in godly fear? What helps you to honor and respect God? When have you been a recipient or a conduit of God’s wisdom?

PRAYER: O Lord, I do need wisdom, your wisdom. I need to see what you see, to discern as you discern, to value as you value. I need to know, not only all the possibilities, but which of them is best. I seek wisdom as a disciple, a father, a leader, a pastor, a writer, and a friend.

Lord, may I grow in godly fear, not that I would be afraid of you, but that I would be overwhelmed afresh by your awesome glory, power, and majesty. Help me not to take you for granted or to minimize your holiness. May I live each day for your purpose and pleasure.

As I offer myself humbly to you, entrusting all that I am to you, give me wisdom, dear Lord. Use me to guide your people and your work. Help me to live each day to the fullest, for your sake. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/foundation-wisdom-0

Tozer Devotional-Exercising Our Gifts

Exercising Our Gifts

The task of the church is too great for any one person to compass and too varied for the skill of any one person to accomplish. God has met this difficulty by dividing the task and giving to every man gifts that enable him to do his part. By distributing the work, He lightens the burden for all and makes possible smooth carrying out of His purposes among men. That is undoubtedly the reason behind the gifts of the Spirit given to the various members of the Christian community. Here, as elsewhere, the manifold wisdom of God is revealed. Not all men can sing; at least not all men can sing well enough to be heard in public. Only a limited number are called to preach. Real teachers are scarce because the gift which enables a Christian to teach is not given to many. Even the humbler gifts, such as “helps” and “governments,” are given to relatively few. The gift of the evangelist is not given to all, or the pastor’s gift or the gift of wisdom. Blessed is the man who knows his gift and who seeks to exercise it toward the other members of the body of Christ as a “good steward of the manifold grace of God.” A revival of true New Testament Christianity must surely bring with it a manifestation of spiritual gifts. Anything short of it will create a just suspicion that the revival is something short of scriptural.

http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=454

Six Degrees Of Separation

Eighty years ago, Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy wrote a short story he called “Chain-Links,” in which he proposed the idea that any two individuals in the world are connected through, at most, five acquaintances. The thesis has been revived today and is usually described as “Six Degrees of Separation.” It’s an unproven theory, of course. But there is a dynamic at work that links us to others around the world: It is the wisdom and providence of God working through His Word to accomplish His will.

Some years ago, I received a letter from a man whom I had never met telling me that a note I had sent to a nearby friend had found its way to him, and it had encouraged him in a time of weariness and dark despair. The friend to whom I had sent the note sent it to a friend, who, in turn, sent it to a friend, and so on, until it was sent to the man who wrote to me.

It may be that a simple word offered in love, guided by the wisdom of God, and borne aloft on the wings of the Spirit will have eternal consequences in someone’s life.

Should we not then fill ourselves with God’s Word and pass it on to others with the prayer that God will use it for His intended purposes? (Isa. 55:11).

 

Do a deed of simple kindness, Though its end you may not see; It may reach, like widening ripples, Down a long eternity. —Norris

http://odb.org/2012/02/04/six-degrees-of-separation/