As elections draw near in our country, we are seeing a constant slue of advertisements asking us to vote for this candidate or that one. One of the things we are seeing over and over is the constant badgering as one declares we should vote for them because they can do the job better than the other. Are we listening to any of those ads? I started thinking about the wisdom of each political ad, and then my own wisdom about things and was lead to a remarkable conclusion: One big hindrance to hearing a word from God--might be our own wisdom!
"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Luke 10:21.
Wisdom, like success, I believe can delude us to think that we should take the role of teacher rather than student. Our knowledge leads us to believe that we have sufficient wisdom to meet any challenge we may face. I think believing we are wise tempts us to evaluate the shortcomings of others and yet be unaware of how much growth is still required in ourselves!
The Pharisees were the religious experts of their day and they possessed incredible information about God. But one thing was lacking in them, they had no personal relationship with Him. Their knowledge clouded their view of themselves before God. Jesus was thanking His Father that it was not to these "experts" that the Father had revealed spiritual truth too. It was instead revealed to those who were humble and recognized their need for God in their life personally.
One of the things I have noticed about leaders, and especially religious leaders, that experience failure is that their downfall is often met with surprise and shock. But it really shouldn't be, especially if the leader is a religious leader meeting with spiritual failure. I have learned in my walk with Christ that many religious people that seem to have the most knowledge are sometimes the least responsive to God's Word. Knowledge can easily lead us into a prideful heart, and believe me, pride keeps us from truly seeking God.
Friends, how do we know if we are a "Pharisee"? I think that the answer is when we discover that we no longer have a teachable spirit! We will notice this if we have a fellow Christian share concern over our spiritual condition and we become defensive. Or, when we believe that we already know what God thinks, and we stop seeking to hear from Him. When no one can teach us anything, but we feel we are capable of helping others in their spiritual condition. There are many warning signs that we have become full of ourselves, we just have to open our eyes and heart to constant examination from ourselves and others around us, even as we help them do the same.
If we want to grow in Christ, build our faith, do great and mighty things, we cannot allow our limited knowledge to blind us to the great truths God still wants to reveal to us. If we are being a "Pharisee", we need to ask God to help us to get rid of our prideful spirit, and get back to have a contrite heart.
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Luke 10:21.
Wisdom, like success, I believe can delude us to think that we should take the role of teacher rather than student. Our knowledge leads us to believe that we have sufficient wisdom to meet any challenge we may face. I think believing we are wise tempts us to evaluate the shortcomings of others and yet be unaware of how much growth is still required in ourselves!
The Pharisees were the religious experts of their day and they possessed incredible information about God. But one thing was lacking in them, they had no personal relationship with Him. Their knowledge clouded their view of themselves before God. Jesus was thanking His Father that it was not to these "experts" that the Father had revealed spiritual truth too. It was instead revealed to those who were humble and recognized their need for God in their life personally.
One of the things I have noticed about leaders, and especially religious leaders, that experience failure is that their downfall is often met with surprise and shock. But it really shouldn't be, especially if the leader is a religious leader meeting with spiritual failure. I have learned in my walk with Christ that many religious people that seem to have the most knowledge are sometimes the least responsive to God's Word. Knowledge can easily lead us into a prideful heart, and believe me, pride keeps us from truly seeking God.
Friends, how do we know if we are a "Pharisee"? I think that the answer is when we discover that we no longer have a teachable spirit! We will notice this if we have a fellow Christian share concern over our spiritual condition and we become defensive. Or, when we believe that we already know what God thinks, and we stop seeking to hear from Him. When no one can teach us anything, but we feel we are capable of helping others in their spiritual condition. There are many warning signs that we have become full of ourselves, we just have to open our eyes and heart to constant examination from ourselves and others around us, even as we help them do the same.
If we want to grow in Christ, build our faith, do great and mighty things, we cannot allow our limited knowledge to blind us to the great truths God still wants to reveal to us. If we are being a "Pharisee", we need to ask God to help us to get rid of our prideful spirit, and get back to have a contrite heart.
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
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