A Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation

-
Ephesians 1:17-19: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe; according to the working of His mighty power"

This was a section of a long prayer that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. If there ever was a time when the Church needs wisdom and revelation it is today! We have enough of the world's wisdom. What we truly need in this day and hour is the wisdom and revelation ~ ~ in the KNOWLEDGE of God. I'm not talking about "head" knowledge. I'm not talking about knowing a character out of history. I'm not even talking about the life of Christ. What I am talking about is have a relational knowledge of Christ. Some Christians go around as if Christ is just an avenue to get them to heaven. From the point of their "salvation" to their dying and going to heaven-- He doesn't mean much more to them than an escape from hell. There is no relationship with the very One who promised them heaven. All they know is that they are going to heaven. They have no earthly idea why they have been left here on earth  and they don't know what their purpose or place is in the body of Christ. They just can't wait to get to the "other side". There isn't anything wrong with anticipating heaven and being with Christ. Paul often said that he would much rather be in the Lord's presence. But Paul knew his purpose- he knew what his place in the body of Christ was- and he fulfilled it with all his heart. He was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. (Acts 26:19). He knew what God expected out of him and he did it. There is a whole lot of living in-between "getting saved" and "going to heaven". We must know what is expected of us.

The word "knowledge" in the original means "recognition, full discernment" (1).  It includes "a greater participation by the knower in the object known." (2). It isn't just a head knowledge of something or someone. It denotes a relationship with who is being known- in this case- Jesus Christ. Many Christians have head knowledge of Christ but when it comes to actually having a relationship with Christ- they do not. Just try to talk to someone who doesn't have that relationship. It doesn't matter how much of the Bible they can recite. It doesn't matter how long they have been "saved"- you can tell fairly quickly that the two of you are not on the same page.

The Word here tells us that we are to pray, seek and ask for a "spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Not just factual knowledge--- but spiritual knowledge. You can know a lot about a person but it doesn't mean you have a relationship with that person. I know a lot about my husband. Mere knowledge doesn't indicate a relationship.  But because we do have a relationship with each other, people can tell pretty quickly when they talk with us who is the most important person in each of our lives. We talk about each other, we communicate with each other, we relate to one another. Yes-- this may be an on-going process in marriage--- and it is the same in our relationship with Christ. It is a process-- but we must START somewhere!  The words "wisdom" and "revelation" are spiritual in meaning. It isn't worldly. Wisdom is simply that- but it's spiritual. Revelation means  "the communicating of the knowledge of God to the soul." (3)  I really like that definition--the communication of knowing God that targets my soul-- the place where I really  live! That's what  its' all about! We are to continually seek God for an increasing measure of spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing God. There is so much more to Christ than what most of the Church experiences today. We have only scratched the surface. We must be willing to go deeper in "knowing" Him.

Let's not be content or satisfied with our "knowledge" of Him. If the apostle Paul thought it was a matter of prayer back then, how much more today with all that is happening in the world around us. We must be vigilant and diligent to maintain our relationship with Christ. We must strive to increase it more and more.  It just isn't enough to be content and wait to be taken out of here. There is so much more!


Dear Lord, help us all to get to know You better. Grant to us that spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we can know You more and more. Help us in our daily routines to be ever mindful of Your presence and to recognize and acknowledge You in all that we do.
In Christ's lovely name, Amen.






(1) Abingdon's Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible 1980
(2) The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words 1984
(3)  The Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words 1984






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let Earth Receive Her King!

-
Image
  I love this time of year and I especially love the old Christmas carols. One of my favorites is “Joy to The World”. The words are so relevant to today. If you really look at the verses of many of the old carols, you get the whole picture of why Jesus came to earth as a baby. Many of them take you from the prophecies of old up to the age of glory when Christ shall rule and reign on this earth. One of the verses in “Joy to the World” says- “Let earth receive her King.” When Jesus walked on this earth many thought that He was going to set up His earthly kingdom at that time. In fact, most of His disciples and the Pharisees thought that He would .(See Luke 17: 20-24 ) But His kingdom was and is not of this world ( John 18:36 ). I was just reminded of this recently when I recalled the words of this song. We must let earth—receive Him as King- our “earth” meaning our lives. We are earthly- but we receive His spirit when we come to Him and allow Him to fill us with His Spirit. Sad
Read more

Extravagant Devotion Series ~ Introduction

-
Image
Scripture reference John 12:1-8; Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9 I saw this phrase “extravagant devotion” in one my study Bibles as it was describing Mary’s devotion for Christ.   It set me thinking and searching about my own devotion to God and what it was in Mary to have this phrase attributed to her. So, I began to do a little digging and praying. The Webster Dictionary defines “extravagant” as: "exceeding the limit of reason or necessity, lacking in moderation, balance and restraint, extremely or excessively elaborate and spending much more than necessary." There are a lot of moderate, balanced and restrained Christians in the Church today.   But God is seeking those a little “off balanced” with a lifestyle of giving “more than necessary” in their worship and devotion.   He is looking for those who display and live a life of “extravagant devotion” to Him.   This isn’t a fleshly display that we often see in churches and meetings today.   I personally
Read more

Embrace Expectancy

-
Image
 "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him". Psalm 62:5     Back in December I had  been sensing a hovering of God’s Spirit over me, a nearness- just like a whisp of air that comes into a room. I try to stay open to what He is up to. I felt a quivering, a stirring deep within my spirit. In prayer, I sensed that something was being birthed in my spirit. Last year it was the Women’s meetings. I have no idea at this point what it is this time. I feel new life, a new anointing, a fresh vision coming.  It has been said that when women first sense that they are pregnant, carrying new life inside of them, that they will feel a quivering, a fluttering, like birds’ wings fluttering. That is how I was feeling. Before the end of the year I  purchased a new planner for my desk. I usually start filling it up with appointments, birthdays, etc. But I felt to do something I had never done before. I had Keith and me lay hands on it and dedicate the new year to
Read more