Have you ever asked yourself why God needs so many words to teach us right and wrong? After all, the Bible is a huge book and sometimes it just seems a bit too much. Is it possible to keep things simple? Love God, love people... that's the Bible for dummies, right?!
Deep down inside we all know the difference between good and evil, but as believers we sometimes struggle to balance between living by the letter and living by the Spirit. Sure, having knowledge of something is not enough to be acting likewise. Knowing that pizza is fattening doesn't keep us from eating it, does it? Knowing that smoking may cause cancer doesn't keep people from doing it. Just having knowledge is not enough, we need understanding! We need conviction in our hearts. Only the Holy Spirit can do this work in us. We need to yield and give Him the right of way.
According to the Bible we do indeed have knowledge of good and evil. In Genesis 3:22, after Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit, God said, Now the man has become like one of us and has knowledge of what is good and what is bad. However, that knowledge wasn't sufficient, God decided to give humankind guidelines to live by. He wanted to enter our hearts, but also our heads.
In Hebrews 10:16 He says, I will put my Laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. Heart and mind, mind and heart! Once God's teachings are in both places, it becomes easier and easier to live a life that is pleasing to Him, a life that we can enjoy too. It is my desire that we will grasp this concept and that is one of the reasons why I write my books about God's law from a life with the Holy Spirit.
Heart and mind, they certainly can get along quite well!
Jesus said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Jesus said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
[Matthew 22:37]
Hi Marja - great post. One definitely needs more than head knowledge. Its needs to be deep in our hearts.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Tracy
Head knowledge... that is all I had for a long time Tracy... and then I opened my heart to receive.
ReplyDeleteMarja:
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. I was instructed that we had to apply that knowledge to our hearts in order to fully understand what we were learning.
Thanks Cecelia for your kind words, I always appreciate your input.
ReplyDeleteApplication... that is definitely a key word.
Amen, Marja! Love your quote... "Knowledge is not enough, we need understanding! We need conviction in our hearts." Amen!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Marja!
ReplyDeleteIf salvation could have been accomplished by the law, Jesus would not have needed to come and die for us. As you said, we need understanding and conviction.
Our time with the Lord is also essential. The Holy Spirit draws on the Word we've hidden in our hearts and teaches us.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Thanks Lisa, for your -amen's- :)
ReplyDeleteYes Susan, time with the Lord and in the Word! Thanks for adding your words of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Marja! It's a daily (and sometimes many times a day!)choice to submit to the Holy Spirit. Love the way you put it: "We need to yield and give Him the right of way." Once we do that, it becomes easy - all I have to do is follow! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think this must be why the Lord instructs us to meditate in His word, so it can grab hold of our hearts.
ReplyDeleteHello Marja,
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog through a link and have begun to follow your posts.
Yes, knowing the Word in mind and heart allows us to live fully.
Wonderful post - AS ALWAYS! You really do give us "fresh insights".
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me too how the bible pairs wisdom with understanding. I just did a search in "e-sword" and they come up together 106 times!
Reading your post this morning turned into a great devotional time for me :-)
Blessings!
Amen! It's so unfortunate that the 12 inch drop doesn't occur for some...from their brain to their heart! So full of knowledge and yet lacking in heart sense. Great post, Marja!
ReplyDeleteMaria, many times a day, yes :) I recognize that!
ReplyDeleteJeanette, meditating on the Word transforms our mind, our thinking, and our acting indeed!
Carol, thanks for visiting. I left a comment on your blog.
Hey Lorrie, I am glad my post turned out to be a great help in your devotional time. I know you are a researcher, 106 times, wow!
ReplyDeleteLynn, that's why we always need to pray for the Lord to soften hearts!
I love the expression 'right of way', Marja! Yes, indeed the Holy Spirit should have that!
ReplyDeleteYes Wyn, one can't TAKE the right of way, it has to be GIVEN.
ReplyDeleteI agree; if God doesn't draw us and teach us, all the knowledge in the world is useless. Trusting Him to open the eyes of my heart and understanding.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Karen
For a lover of words I am SO glad the Bible has plenty of them. ;) Sometimes I can't get enough and only His Word is truly satisfying.
ReplyDeleteYes, heart and mind, spirit and soul can get along but the are continuously bucking heads and that is where we often go wrong by giving more attention to soul (mind, emotions) than we do to the spirit. Then we have the third part in us, the body, with its ferocious appetite continuously being fed by this physical world we live in. I say we must give priority to the feeding of our spirit above all so that then the mind and the body line up and whenever they get out of line (which is often) we can just whip them back into shape with God's Word alive in us.
Marja, you always stir me up and then I leave you these long comments. ;)
I love these long comments Marcia, they are the icing on the cake. What is a post without input from the readers/
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, I enjoy your enthusiasm.