How long have you known me? All your life? All my life? A few days, weeks, months, years, or only for a season? Much of your knowledge of me depends on our relationship to one another, but even more on your relationship to Christ. In families and within communities, there are degrees of relationship. I have parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins, nieces and nephews. In the body of Christ, in God’s family, I have only brothers and sisters. If you belong to God in Christ, then we are intimately related. There is much we can know of one another because of our familial ties spiritually. Likewise, if you do not know Christ, then there is a limit to what you can know of me.
”Who can know the thoughts of another person? Only a person’s own spirit can know them.
In the same way, only the Spirit of God knows God’s thoughts.
What we have received is not the spirit of the world. We have received the Spirit who is from God.
The Spirit helps us understand what God has freely given us.
The person without the Spirit doesn’t accept the things that come from the Spirit of God.
These things are foolish to them. They can’t understand them.
In fact, such things can’t be understood without the Spirit’s help.“
1 Corinthians 2:11-12, 14 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/1co.2.14.NIRV
”For what person perceives, knows, and understands, what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him?” The Amplified Bible functions much like a thesaurus as a study tool. If there are multiple ways to express the intent of the original languages of the Bible so as not to lose meaning in the English or modern vernacular, these synonyms are included in the text. What passes through a man’s thoughts is the bucket containing our own basic knowledge, perceptions, and comprehension. We all begin as infants with the capacity to learn and know ourselves, others, and our Creator. This learning process begins immediately and continues until our final breath.
The apostle Paul addressed a group of Epicurean and Stoic thinkers in Athens while waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive. He was telling everyone who would listen the good news about Jesus’s resurrection when he saw a statue to an unknown God. He began with the creation and made a convincing argument for faith in Jesus, saying, ”From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live. God did this so that people would seek him. And perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us.“ (Acts 17:26-27 NIRV https://bible.com/bible/110/act.17.26-27.NIRV)
Paul says God did all this so people would seek Him and find Him. John’s testimony is similar in his gospel account. “Jesus performed many other signs in front of his disciples. They are not written down in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. If you believe this, you will have life because you belong to him.“ (John 20:30-31 NIRV https://bible.com/bible/110/jhn.20.30-31.NIRV)
”You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.“
Jeremiah 29:13 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.29.13.ESV
“Just so no one discerns or comes to know and comprehend the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.“
1 Corinthians 2:11-12 AMPC
https://bible.com/bible/8/1co.2.11-12.AMPC
”For the longing of my Father is that everyone who embraces the Son and believes in him will experience eternal life and I will raise them up in the last day!”“
John 6:40 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/jhn.6.40.TPT
As I begin to comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly bestowed on me by God, my Father who longs for me to experience abundant and eternal life, both now and in His presence for all eternity, God’s Spirit in me makes me grateful.
”But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.“
1 Corinthians 2:14 AMPC
https://bible.com/bible/8/1co.2.14.AMPC
As I grow and change as a person, as long as I am abiding in Christ, keeping in step with His Spirit, Jesus in me becomes more visible, and my understanding of Him, of who I am in Him, deepens. (John 15:4, Galatians 5:25) Scripture plays an integral part in my growth, but only inasmuch as I rely on God’s Spirit for illumination. As a new creation in Christ, “I have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:10 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/col.3.10.NIV)
He is every day changing me as I surrender my life, trusting God to do His work in my heart and mind. As Jesus in me shines through, it matters less and less how recognizable I am.
”It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows.
Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
He has come from above and is greater than anyone else.
We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!
Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God.
He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.“
John 3:29-34 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.3.29-34.NLT
Whether or not we know each other personally, ”I thank my God every time I remember you.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. I am happy because you have joined me in spreading the good news.
You have done so from the first day until now. God began a good work in you. And I am sure that he will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns.
I pray that your love will grow more and more. And let it be based on knowledge and understanding. Then you will be able to know what is best. Then you will be pure and without blame for the day that Christ returns.
You will be filled with the fruit of right living produced by Jesus Christ.
All these things bring glory and praise to God.“
Philippians 1:3-6, 9-11 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/php.1.4-11.NIRV
“These are God’s words, and God’s words have the power to accomplish all of God’s purposes.”
For The Love Of God: Day 352 • Devotional
A Fitting Reply 