It requires the Spirit of God to understand

Proverbs 25:11-13

A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples on a silver tray.  A wise correction to a receptive ears, like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters.

I’m a follower of Jesus and a conservative in the management of what rules I live life by.  When it comes to sin, I’ve been its friend, its victim, and I now understand that in me trying to get my needs met outside of Christ I am open to sin’s control.

So let me share how these verses speak to me, “Words mean something,” and a poor listener will often not understand what is said.  E-Mail and letters are often misunderstood.  My dad often came across as being angry when making a point, and I inherited that in my personality.

I've have been told I was ignorant, and I confess I am about many things, but then I do not know of anyone who is not.  I've never been a middle of the road type; I know what I believe and yet I have a lot to learn.  With that said I must confess I have little patience with those who have no desire to get understanding and have small or zero values.

So it comes down to what seems to me that if words mean something one should have a receptive ear to understand what is said before forming an opinion.  Many a person owns a Bible; I’ve read that the average home in the U.S.A. has 4.4 Bibles and yet most are never read, and often misquoted. 

The Scripture is very clear that it requires the Spirit of God living in a person to understand the Bible, you will find that in 1 Corinthians 2:12-14, ^“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

In that God has instructed each follower of Christ to be a trustworthy messenger, if you find the Bible hard to understand or uninspiring have you done what 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to do?  ^“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Now only you understand your relationship with Jesus and the Father, but if you fail the test, are you on the right path to a new beginning?  It is your choice, but if you are wanting to have a relationship it begins with asking God the Father to give you the faith needed to believe what Romans 10:9, teaches:  “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice