Once on the ‘firm spiritual ground’ (seems to relate to our earlier reading reflections too) Paul speaks of wisdom
will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that
goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on
the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God
determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived
on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan
is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life
on a cross. (The Message)
Strikes me that we, and as the Church, are all too often in the last decade or so turned on by the sort of wisdom that is fashionable, popularist, trendy and high priced. Such simulated faith though is all surface while he points and directs us to a Godly wisdom that is none of these, it is ‘Old’ and ‘goes deep into the interior of his purposes’. Now that is really something! Taught us in a personal way through Jesus Christ. Seems to me that we need to spend more time in such relationship and lessons than in seeking to be too clever or smart in our own terms with ‘fancy mental and emotional footwork’. In step with the Spirit we learn so much deeper things – this is wisdom –ears to hear and eyes to see and a knowing therefore what to do. The mind of Christ in us!
The way to this is by learning to indwell scripture, taking time daily to place ourselves there and wait so that in turn we live it out. Our wisdom will excite us, but...how far will it get us. Recently I have been reading Hans Urs von Balthasar and related books. Balthasar notes that often a Christian's whole life can be seen as living out just one verse of scripture. This can be vital to our calling/vocation as we revisit the text again and again and keep finding new dimensions to it. In this way we inhabit the text and it us.
What texts have shaped or are shaping you ? (providing that firm spiritual ground for missionary calling.)
You might like to visit Steve Taylor (Wednesday 25th May) who is asking -
What are the Scriptures that have shaped your emerging mission? What are the texts that have "read" you and formed who you are becoming in this postmodern culture ?
