Do you lack the ability to make proper judgments? Do you see others failing to make proper judgments? Have you conversed with people who fail to understand what the things of God? Do you wonder how they cannot understand? Would you like to know?
There are times when we understand something and wonder how others cannot understand it. It may seem so simple to us, and yet others cannot grasp it. When it is something we have been trained in, we might better understand why they cannot. Sometimes it comes down to experience.
Something I often hear is, “I can read the Bible, but I can’t understand it.” If the person is a Christian, I always tell them they can. The issue is not whether we are smart enough to understand it. It isn’t whether we are Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic scholars. It isn’t a matter of us spending an inordinate amount of time studying. It boils down to two things. First, we must be willing to learn. Second, we must ask God to reveal it through his Holy Spirt.
Let’s have no misunderstanding. Not all of us are ordained by God to obtain a deep and comprehensive understanding of God. Yet, we all can learn enough to apply God’s Word in our lives. Leaning on the Holy Spirit to teach is initially challenging and may feel fruitless. But as we continue to ask God to reveal what we need to know through his Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes and the more natural it feels.
Gaining understanding is not something we are to boast about. After all, it isn’t us who are doing the work, it is the Holy Spirit. It is something we can take comfort in, and we can share what we learn with others. It better equips us to answer questions and convince others they need Jesus in their lives. This is how Jesus used ordinary men to start His church and spread the gospel in the first century.
I pray we all ask God to reveal his Word to us. I pray we are open to listening and learning from the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us use what we learn to share the gospel with others. Ask God to reveal his Word. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Learn from the Holy Spirit. Share the gospel with others.
1 Corinthians 2:14-15 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.
Marty Pressey 