DRAWING NEAR
January 23
Comprehending What You Have
"[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the
knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17).
Your inheritance in Christ is so vast and profound that you cannot
comprehend it apart from God's enabling.
The late newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst invested a
fortune in collecting great works of art. One day he read of an
extremely valuable work that he determined to add to his collection.
His agent searched the galleries of the world but to no avail.
Finally, after many months of effort and at great expense, the agent
found the prized art work: it had been stored in one of Hearst's own
warehouses all along!
That story parallels Christians who are constantly searching for
something more because they don't understand what they already have
in Christ. Since Paul knew that was a potential problem, he prayed
for God to enable us to comprehend our spiritual riches.
"Spirit" in verse 17 refers to a disposition or attitude of humility,
such as, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3). "Revelation"
is knowledge that God imparts through His Word. "Wisdom" is the
application of that knowledge to daily living. The combined effect is
a humble attitude toward God's Word that compels you to learn it and
integrate it into every aspect of your life.
On the human level the fullness of your inheritance in Christ is
incomprehensible. God's Word reveals many of its benefits and the
Holy Spirit empowers you as you learn to live according to its
principles, but much of it will remain a mystery in this life (1 John
3:2). Paul's prayer is that you will understand as much as possible
so that godly wisdom and revelation will govern all your attitudes
and actions. Let that be your goal today.
Suggestions for Prayer:
1. Thank God for the incomprehensible riches that are yours in
Christ.
2. Pray that you might always approach His Word with a submissive and
teachable heart.
For Further Study:
1. Reviewing God's promises motivates praise and reminds us of His
gracious provisions. Read the following passages, noting the promises
they contain: Psalm 29:11; Isaiah 26:3; 41:10; Matthew 6:25-33; John
14:2-3, 13-14; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Philippians
4:6-7; 1 John 1:9; 5:11-12; Revelation 21:3-4.
2. Study your life. Does it demonstrate confidence in God's promises?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
1 John 3:2 (NKJV)
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed
what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Psalm 29:11
The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His
people with peace.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I
will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand.'
Matthew 6:25-33
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will
put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not
of more value than they?
27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these.
30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is,
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What
shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly
Father knows that you need all these things.
33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.
John 14:2-3
2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:13-14
13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son.
14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you
are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,
that you may be able to bear it.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 5:11-12
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have life.
Revelation 21:3-4
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they
shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be
no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away."
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
.
|
