Sue With Deer

Sue With Deer
"As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants after You."

Monday, May 2, 2016

The Wealth of Spiritual Understanding

I've been pondering the word “understanding" as I read the Scripture penned by Paul, “May the Lord give you understanding in ALL things.”  Is that not a marvel - that the Lord would grant us His understanding in ALL things?  Reckon “all” means “all?”  I think so.

Well today I felt compelled to read Colossians. It is among my favorite letters in the New Testament.  In Chapter 2, “hear” a verse a little differently.  “For I want you to know…how great a struggle I have…on your behalf…and for those in Laodicea, AND for ALL those who have not seen my face…”

I typed it out that way because God had Paul pen “on your behalf and for ALL those who have not seen his face.”  Paul’s had yearnings and intercession I believe, for ALL those who would come into Christ Jesus – not just in his generation but in all generations following his.  This is why I believe God had the Holy Spirit pen these words.

So what did he say his struggle was about?  Here it is:

“That their hearts may be encouraged… (powerful statement)…having been knit together in love…”

Like to stop there for a second and take a snapshot at the phrase “knit together in love.”  Some ladies out there know how to knit (I used to at one time).  Knitting is not a hurry up thing.  There is a careful stitch by stitch, precise, and deliberation to what one is doing when they are knitting.  It takes shape after a while.

So it is with God.  He does wants our love to be real and something we are aware of HOW God is knitting us together in that precious reality of Christ from WHOM and WHOM is the Love.  We start taking shape.

What is the rest of this great verse, what does God want, and what is the knitting together in love for?

“…AND attaining to ALL the wealth that comes from the FULL ASSURANCE of UNDERSTANDING…”

God truly wants understanding in us.  And Paul writes that when we do understand spiritually God’s Words, His ways, His Son we have this tremendous reality of how rich we are in Him.

Now this is what I love.  There is a result of this spiritual understanding and being knit together in God’s love.  What is it?

“…resulting in a TRUE knowledge of God’s mystery…that is, CHRIST HIMSELF…in WHOM are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

This is what astounds my heart.  There is a true knowing of Christ Himself beyond just the words we say and share.  This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us – to bring about the awareness and reality of Christ within us and among us.

We don’t have to get all out of joint when we speak of that word, “mystery.”  God Himself uses it – it is a mystery to the world.  The Lord has to unveil the reality to us (this is where understanding comes in) that when Adam fell, sin and death came.  He lost life – the life of God.

And now through the Son of God, Life has come in.  Jesus Himself has come in our spirits made alive through Him.  It is through our union with the Son of God by the Holy Spirit we can even begin to bear fruit of real and genuine righteousness.  So the Source is NOT us ever – Jesus alone is LIFE.
“I am the Resurrection and the Life.”  John 11

As long as it depends on us, our outward motions and ideas of following the ideal of Christianity, we won’t discover the riches and wealth of having the ONE who IS all these things producing His life and fruit through us.

May the Lord really and truly give us this spiritual understanding of HIM dwelling and working in and through us – being our all, our victor, having His mind, His wisdom, His life flowing evermore.

It’s a wealth we have not tapped into yet.  This is why I think Paul was so persecuted.  He “crossed the river” so to speak.  He was saying and I’ll say it in a southern accent:  “Ya’ll, this Gospel of Grace and Christ coming to live in you does NOT compare to anything that has happened on earth since Adam.  Get to know the ‘last Adam” who is Christ in YOU.  I’ve been struggling and interceding for His body to understand God’s mystery which is:  “Christ in you, your hope of glory.”

Love to all in and through Christ our Lord,

Sue Gaither


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