I have said and will continue to say that I get more out of these than you most likely ever will. This can be a blessing and the most humbling experience transcribing what the Lord reveals to me or the revelation of what ignorance my mind thought I knew. This is most apparent in todays. Notice, thanks to His Spirit, that I end with a far more humbling position than that I begin with. May we all view everything in the light of His revelations and blind ourselves to our own ignorance.
Extra Credit: Two for the price of one today. I combined two very short (but powerful) devotions from John Angell James and Jonathan Edwards both on Christian Love.
Jhn 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Jhn 13:22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
- Who did they accuse of betrayal in each of their minds?
Only the potter has the power to discern the vessels to keep and those to cast into the fire. Only the master can truly discern the wheat from the tares. We follishishly look at the outward works of men and judge them to be Godly or sinful. Oh our ignorance and self-righteousness. Christ states that one among them shall betray Him. There response was astonishment and looking at each other not knowing which it was. I looked at these verses and saw them looking at and judging outward behavior in each other. They most likely remembered ever sin of everyone else and never expected Judas. They could not see the evil in his heart. But these same men questioned Marys generosity and most likely thought twice about Peter. I saw these verses at first, as the disciples (and our) inability to discern and trusting what we see but do not know.
I read these verses and immediately thought the worse of these eleven. I saw them in my mind pointing figures at each other. But sadly I am far worse in my discernment than they. I can be very narrow in my views unless God lifts the blinders off my eyes and His Spirit reveals the truth. After beginning this and then reading Mathew Henrys commentary, he gives a enlighten view when comparing this to the Gospel of Mathew (Mat 26:22). (They, the disciples, are to be commended for their charity in that they are more jealous of themselves than each other. It is the law of charity to hope the best. Because we assembly know therefore we may justly expect more evil of ourselves than our brethren. - Mathew Henry.) The very thing I tried to expound, I am guilty and convicted of. I see clearer now our (my) inability to discern and trusting what we (I) see but do not know. Thanks to the revelations of the Lord I learned as I pray we all do that we should not say thee or ye but is it I. Let us not only not look at the outward flesh but let us think first the best of others. (Mat 26:22)
"It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor." (Martin Luther)
