Weekly Devotional 2-29-16 Not By Our Own Strength
A few weeks ago I received this email from a friend. “Steve, I’m reading a good book The Battle Plan for Prayer by Steve and Alex Kendrick. One important thought from that book is; God never intended for us to live out our Christian life or accomplish his work on earth in our own wisdom or strength. His plan has always been for us to rely on the Holy Spirit and live a life of obedience in prayer.”
As I thought through these comments my mind was led to the encouragement of Jesus to His disciples on the night of His arrest. He said, “1I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:1-8 NKJV).
In order to bear fruit, Jesus said one must be attached to the vine, that is, to Him. Knowing that He would soon leave them, in the temporal sense and ascend back into Heaven, He also told them that He would send them His Spirit to come along side of them and that He would indwell them. We read from John 14:12-18; “12Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
Steve and Alex Kendrick’s observation that God “never intended for us to live out our Christian life or accomplish His work on earth in our own wisdom or strength” is certainly true. It certainly was the Apostle Paul’s experience. Consider this excerpt from his first letter to the Corinthian church. “1And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But 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. 10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God’” (1 Corinthians 2:1-16 NKJV).
Paul understood that spiritual wisdom is produced in the Christian by the Holy Spirit; who is the source and the conduit of Godly wisdom. Godly wisdom was experienced and manifested by Paul when he was surrendered to the Spirit’s leadership and this should also be our pursuit.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man
Evangelical Free Church www.efreebible