Good Morning Friends!

How are you doing? I’m doing well. How are you feeling? I’m feeling well too. It’s a beautiful day outside (here in Northern MD), I have hot coffee nearby, and with finishing up my quiet time I’m consequently thinking about godly things.

I trust that you are getting used to these Wednesday emails that are like a little get-together in the middle of the week (between Sundays). So far I’ve just been trying to lay some groundwork before we get into the deep stuff.

We first talked about God and His word as being precious. I was just thinking how talking up the Bible is like talking up air. Air is precious too. Without it we would die. But how many of us go through a typical day praising air? Oh wonderful air, sweet air, Bel Air! It’s like I am saying, “Look! The air is so intricate… Who made air? Now, are you giving air its due consideration? How often have you taken the time to breathe deeply and slowly, pondering the wonderful properties of air?”

And starting with last week, we are now considering another thing that, without it, we would collapse on the ground like a bag of meat…

Have you thought about your spirit at any point over the last week? I hope so. Remember, the inner you is the real you, and the real you is so very important. You know, I am spending some time on the “inner you” for a reason. As we take air for granted, it is too easy to not really regard our spirit; Think of your thinking, your reasoning, your mental aspect, your emotions, and your conscience, your internal rational/ irrational self that orders everything about you. All that stuff is by your spirit inside your body.

It can be a challenge to think. Just ask my kids. My kids test my patience a few times during the course of a week. Why? Because they sometimes forget to use their brains. Have you ever found yourself saying to someone else, “USE YOUR BRAIN”? Ha! To think means to use your brain. Oh how much grief could be avoided if people just use their brain. I know I would have saved my parents much grief if I just thought for a minute before doing something that later turned out to be grievous.

We laugh at stupid criminal stories because those people didn’t use their brain. They didn’t think. I’m sure some of you have thought, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??” I’m also sure some of us have been asked that question by our spouse, ha!

There was one time I was obsessed with cleaning a stain off my car’s windshield. I first tried Windex to clean the stain. That didn’t work. Then I tried soap and water with an abrasive sponge. Nope. Then I tried more soap with scalding hot water with an abrasive sponge. Nope. Steel wool… Nope. Scrape with a razor? Nope. Gasoline… nope. Rubbing compound… No change. The stain was still visible. Hopelessly determined, I brought out a blowtorch to burn the stubborn stain off. Moments after putting the flame to the stain, the windshield cracks and splits before my eyes! I did eventually remove the stain… by getting a new windshield. Ha! That was bone-headed of me and I did not use my brain. I did not think things through to forecast (with some sort of sense) the consequences.    

But you know something, a good amount of thinking is required when considering spiritual things. It is too easy to take our inner person for granted. For most of my past I thought of spiritual things maybe on Sunday and maybe during mission trips. All other times my thinking was about what would make Jim happy; what Jim wanted, etc. Every now and then someone would die and that would cause me to think about spiritual things. Every so often I would cheat death myself and be forced to think of spiritual things.

Okay, so, what is my point in all this encouraging you to think of spiritual things and consider your inner person, you ask…

1^st Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

In the Bible, a “natural person” is one who has not yet truly converted to Christ. And by implication, the ones who have truly converted to Christ can spiritually discern the things of the Spirit of God, and they certainly do not think those things are foolish.

Can you guess just one big thing of the Spirit of God? How about the Gospel? The good news is that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that our sins would be atoned for and thus we may be reconciled to God. I mean, how many times have we heard that? Many, many times… since Sunday school times.

But the “natural man” can’t really understand the gospel’s significance, because the mind-blowing significance is spiritually discerned. And so by considering God and His word and then considering your spirit, you can catch a glimpse of where you stand.

Do you think the Bible is foolish or foolproof? Do you accept what the word of God says or do you reject it? Do you actively think about the things of the Spirit of God or have they been laid to rest (R.I.P.) in your mind? Does it make sense or is it really nonsense?  If so, why? If not, why not?

I think we all can appreciate King David. Shepherd boy who slings a rock into Goliath’s skull, man on the run made to be King, adulterous murderer to boot!! Nevertheless, he knew how important it is to consider our inner person. Read what David wrote…

Psalm 26:2
Examine me, O Lord, and test me; test my heart and my mind.

To be willing to be scrutinized by your Maker is serious stuff, wouldn’t you agree? And I suggest your willingness (or lack of) directly correlates to how you (your inner person) regard the things of the Spirit of God. Just think about that for a while…

**Comments/ questions/ affirmations/ objections most encouraged!

Dear Lord, thank you for this time to consider Your word and Your ways. May our thoughts, words, and deeds bring You glory… and glory to You alone. –Amen

Peace,
Jim