December 17, 2015 INEXPRESSIBLE WORDS
2 Corinthians 12:2-4,7: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows-such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man-whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows-was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which man is not permitted to speak. And because of the passing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me-to keep me from exalting myself.”
Whatever God allowed Paul to see or experience in this heavenly vision was a life-changer to say the least. We may have difficulty understanding the source of the passion that we see in the life of Paul until we read the verses above. Whatever Paul saw or experienced, brought about a change at the core of his being, and we see in his writings the passion that this vision produced in his life. As the verses point out, the vision was so great that Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” that would prevent him from boasting about the vision he had seen. Certainly not every believer will have such an experience as did Paul. The main point for today is to help us understand the source of passion, or the lack of, in our own lives. There are two platforms from which we as believers live our lives, or from which we derive our motivation. One platform, or mindset, is that we are committed to doing our best, trying with our best effort to live the Christian life. With this mindset, we have successes and we have failures; but the failures cause us to try again with more zeal. This cycle may go on for years, but in time we get tired of trying and we quietly give up and resign ourselves to a life of mediocracy. The other platform, or mindset, is that we do the things we do as a result of what we have encountered in our spirit. With a passion in our spirit, we don’t “try”, we just “do”. Passion is not dependent on circumstances as is self- effort. I say all of that to say that even though we may not have a heavenly vision like Paul had, we do need vision if we are to have a passion that directs our life no matter the circumstances. There are no “three easy steps to having a vision”; but we can have a vision. Going back to the point above, what we see in the spiritual realm-in the heavenlies-serves as our motivation for the things we do here. Once we encounter, or once we “see” into the heavenlies, or we “see” into the kingdom of God in our spirit, what we see becomes the basic motivation of our life. I say again, we may not, and likely will not have the same vision Paul had, but that does not mean we will not or cannot have vision; and in fact, Proverbs 29:18 says that “where there is no vision, the people perish.” I think we can all agree that vision is essential if we are to live the Christian life as God designed, but at the same time we may be asking how we acquire vision. I don’t think there are any profound answers for this question. The vision we are talking about comes from God, not from our own doing. Even though vision comes from God, we can put ourselves in a place where we are good candidates for receiving a vision that God produces in us. As usual, it starts with our heart-is must be a priority of our heart to know God and to seek Him. Seeking to know the Lord includes reading and meditating on the written word of God, and then obeying the word of God, and worshiping Him. Praying, or conversation with God is also essential if we are to have vision. Seeking the Lord also means that we make choices daily that are pleasing to Him. The good news is that all of these activities are not burdensome, but are in fact activities that are the very source of life. Another helpful activity is to have meaningful conversations about the things of God with others who also have a heart for God. A great vision to start with is getting a vision as to who God says we are-what it means to be in Christ-a vision that the Holy Spirit is anxious to give. We don’t have to strive at getting vision; our part is to turn our hearts to the Father, to develop a heart for God; and by so doing, God will supply vision. The vision that God gives calls us to a higher plane of living; it brings life, gives hope, and fulfills and satisfies us as nothing else can. No matter your background, your present circumstances, or your age, God has a vision for you-so be about discovering that vision.
Ephesians 1:18-19b: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 12:2-4,7: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows-such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man-whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows-was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which man is not permitted to speak. And because of the passing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me-to keep me from exalting myself.”
Whatever God allowed Paul to see or experience in this heavenly vision was a life-changer to say the least. We may have difficulty understanding the source of the passion that we see in the life of Paul until we read the verses above. Whatever Paul saw or experienced, brought about a change at the core of his being, and we see in his writings the passion that this vision produced in his life. As the verses point out, the vision was so great that Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” that would prevent him from boasting about the vision he had seen. Certainly not every believer will have such an experience as did Paul. The main point for today is to help us understand the source of passion, or the lack of, in our own lives. There are two platforms from which we as believers live our lives, or from which we derive our motivation. One platform, or mindset, is that we are committed to doing our best, trying with our best effort to live the Christian life. With this mindset, we have successes and we have failures; but the failures cause us to try again with more zeal. This cycle may go on for years, but in time we get tired of trying and we quietly give up and resign ourselves to a life of mediocracy. The other platform, or mindset, is that we do the things we do as a result of what we have encountered in our spirit. With a passion in our spirit, we don’t “try”, we just “do”. Passion is not dependent on circumstances as is self- effort. I say all of that to say that even though we may not have a heavenly vision like Paul had, we do need vision if we are to have a passion that directs our life no matter the circumstances. There are no “three easy steps to having a vision”; but we can have a vision. Going back to the point above, what we see in the spiritual realm-in the heavenlies-serves as our motivation for the things we do here. Once we encounter, or once we “see” into the heavenlies, or we “see” into the kingdom of God in our spirit, what we see becomes the basic motivation of our life. I say again, we may not, and likely will not have the same vision Paul had, but that does not mean we will not or cannot have vision; and in fact, Proverbs 29:18 says that “where there is no vision, the people perish.” I think we can all agree that vision is essential if we are to live the Christian life as God designed, but at the same time we may be asking how we acquire vision. I don’t think there are any profound answers for this question. The vision we are talking about comes from God, not from our own doing. Even though vision comes from God, we can put ourselves in a place where we are good candidates for receiving a vision that God produces in us. As usual, it starts with our heart-is must be a priority of our heart to know God and to seek Him. Seeking to know the Lord includes reading and meditating on the written word of God, and then obeying the word of God, and worshiping Him. Praying, or conversation with God is also essential if we are to have vision. Seeking the Lord also means that we make choices daily that are pleasing to Him. The good news is that all of these activities are not burdensome, but are in fact activities that are the very source of life. Another helpful activity is to have meaningful conversations about the things of God with others who also have a heart for God. A great vision to start with is getting a vision as to who God says we are-what it means to be in Christ-a vision that the Holy Spirit is anxious to give. We don’t have to strive at getting vision; our part is to turn our hearts to the Father, to develop a heart for God; and by so doing, God will supply vision. The vision that God gives calls us to a higher plane of living; it brings life, gives hope, and fulfills and satisfies us as nothing else can. No matter your background, your present circumstances, or your age, God has a vision for you-so be about discovering that vision.
Ephesians 1:18-19b: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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