Know and Understand

Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.

I need to do a study someday on words just like this. How many times would we find it said that we are to know and understand God? That's what He delights in and we can also if we put our hearts into it.

I think of all the admonitions to us about turning back to God, or turning to Him for the first time. He holds the key to life. All we need is right there in the Word.

The Word (which Nancy Pelosi had such a difficult time saying) is living water. It is our daily bread. It is the true Word of God given to people long ago to help us understand who God is. It's not just rules and regulations, admonitions, but filled with love and hope, words of comfort and words for us today as it was then.

I want to look at the first two sentences of that last paragraph and rewrite them: Jesus (which Nancy Pelosi had such a difficult time saying) is Living Water. He is our Daily Bread. He is the true Word of God given to us long ago to help us understand who God is. So again you see it's all about Jesus. It's all about seeking Him and learning and gaining His wisdom for our lives. 

When we seek Him we are given the ability to understand. He's the link that is missing when people claim they don't understand the Bible. You must first receive Him and everything else falls into place. The wisdom He gives is phenomenal! That's what it means when you hear scripture say "the blind will see, the deaf shall hear." Worldview is deaf and blind. But Christ gives us all wisdom and understanding.

God delights in those who delight in His Word. When we seek His Word (Him) He shows us the desires of our heart. He will speak to each of us individually. We will see differently, hear differently, feel differently. We do all these things because His Spirit has now become our Guide. I just can't tell you what the difference is. It's one of those things you have to find out for yourself. It's something that's difficult to comprehend until you experience it.

One thing's for certain, and I'm so thankful for this: the Word of God will never die. (Just like Jesus rose again from the dead and is alive today.) No matter how much this world or our enemies want it (Him) squelched it will endure, just like the nation of Israel. God has ordained His Word (Jesus) and His original people and no matter how bad things might look, they will not just fade away. Praise God. That means more people have a chance to accept the Word.

We are not wise on our own. We are not mighty on our own. We are not rich on our own. God has given these to us. It's when we don't realize where our wisdom, strength and riches come from we get into trouble...when our pride takes over and we attribute these things to how we worked for them. God deserves the credit. We are nothing without Him. James 4:6 tells us that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Where do any of us stand? How puffed up are any of us when we do something we think is good? Do we ever give God the credit; do we glorify God?

If we have received Christ, we don't consciously go there anymore. We know where our "stuff" comes from. Because we have turned from our worldly ways and are now seeking His ways, our minds are set on things above, not on things on the earth because our lives are hidden with Christ (Colossians 3:2-3).

How things change when we sit back and realize that we really didn't get from Point A to Point B under our own strength, like I used to think. God's hand was in it all along. He had a plan for my life even when I didn't know Him and that plan included eternal life. I'm thankful for His prodding and turning me towards Him. I'm thankful that He cared that much. And I'll put my life on the fact that He will do that for anyone willing to truly seek Him, to get to understanding Him.

You will never get to knowing and understanding a wooden or stone idol, even if it's placed in a church. No celestial being can speak to you either. We may know about these things, what they "symbolize" but our God is alive and through His Word we may know Him. It is our direct worship of Him; it is our going directly to Him that He delights in. 

John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.