Daily Devotion | Day 316
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NKJV).
The mysteries of God are the inheritance of His children. In former times, these mysteries were hidden. But now they are revealed. And it is by the Holy Spirit that they are revealed to us (Ephesians 3:1-6). As Paul notes in our opening Scripture, these mysteries are about “things God has prepared for those who love Him.” They are things which “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man.” The Father kept these wonderful plans close to His chest. But at the appointed time, He unveiled the plans to His apostles and prophets through the Holy Spirit. This is the point Paul is making.
The Spirit is able to search the depths of the Father’s heart. It is with this ability that He drew out the mysteries of our inheritance in Christ and declared them to the apostles (and prophets). The Spirit’s work in the Church is to oversee the faithful transmission of this revealed knowledge from one generation of Christians to another until the return of Christ. He does so by leading every believer to the truth, especially through the ministry of those appointed to shepherd the flock of Christ (Acts 20:27-28). This last point will be the focus of our concluding message on “Knowing Is the Key to Possessing.”
The Father never does (or says) something except by His Spirit. This ensures that all His deeds are mighty and effective. His prophets of old were effective communicators of His will because they ministered by the Holy Spirit at work in them (1 Peter 1:10-11). As Son of God and Messiah, Jesus did the same thing. He effectively and accurately communicated the Father’s will because He taught by the Spirit that was in Him (Acts 1:2).
The apostles were no different. Paul writes, for example, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13). Peter confirms what Paul said. Concerning our inheritance in Christ, he spoke of “the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things which angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1:12).
Notice the Holy Spirit’s role in ensuring that those who preach do so according to His leading. This is crucial because what we are in Christ is a profound supernatural reality. And our inheritance in Him is so vast and marvelous that even angels desire to look into what we have. Therefore, to bring this knowledge home to Christians, one must be in tune with the Spirit.
To teach others by the Spirit, you must first be taught by the Spirit. In other words, to effectively communicate God’s will to His children, you must first be a student of the Spirit. Otherwise, you risk delivering a superficial message. Superficial messages will keep the flock of God ignorant, anemic and frail. And if they remain ignorant, they risk despising their inheritance or losing it altogether.
To sum up:
Knowing is the key to possessing. As God’s people, we have a right to understand our inheritance in Christ and be able to appropriate what is rightfully ours. For this to happen, the Holy Spirit’s revelatory role is indispensable. As we welcome the Spirit, we welcome His insights. And as we welcome His insights, we welcome the ability to take possession of (and enjoy) the unsearchable riches of Christ. Therefore, let us stay enlightened by the Spirit. Amen.
For further study: Luke 15:11-32
Higher-Self Realities 