A Christian brother left this comment on my post Tampering…"I'm wondering how we distinguish between counter-productive tinkering and the passion for constant improvement that has been a chief strength of such companies as 3M and Walmart."
His thought brought forth in me this immediate response, which I have tried to put into words…
We don't have to wonder how to distinguish them. Not in advance, not in general. We distinguish them as they come, availing ourselves of the discernment given us by the Holy Spirit.
It's not as if we were judging others, or even the world system, by some predetermined and exclusive philosophical viewpoint. That would make Christianity into an -ism or a religion, like all the others that follow dead gods.
We have the gift of discernment through the Holy Spirit, so there’s no need to wonder about anything. This gift is a “point of use” article of our spiritual armament. It’s meant to be used at the right time, in the right place, and in the right way.
That gift isn't so lofty or otherworldly that we should only use it on formally ‘spiritual’ matters. The gift of discernment is given exactly to use in the situations I am describing. This is where our Christianity leaves the coffee social after the service and the delightful bible study fellowship and strikes terror like a divine lightning flash into the guts of demons who amuse themselves by small, incremental unimprovements to their patients (for they are doctors, only of a very different sort from the great Physician).
Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the one who was dead but is now alive, and lives for evermore. Their gods, whatever they call them, were never alive, are dead now, and dead for evermore.
Holy prophet Isaiah keeps reminding us of this over and over again, yet we still can’t seem to keep our feet on the Rock and our eyes on Jesus. But when we are able to stand firm on the Rock of His written word, the divine scriptures, the Bible, discernment is given us when, where, and how we need it, and not for our own glory. We don’t use it, as much as by means of it, He uses us, to testify again and again to the Truth.
Truth is so absolute, so real, so personal, so powerful, so able to conquer through apparent defeat, so able to live even though it is constantly put to death, that when we simply live in the Truth, absolute certainty is granted to us. Again, not the false certainty of triumphalism and religion, but the certainty of the Kingdom of God, in which we knowingly live as first-born sons and citizens of heaven.
That certainty replaces all guesswork, all anxiousness, all doubt.
It comes to those who use the gift of discernment,
and do not just talk about it.
It's not as if we were judging others, or even the world system, by some predetermined and exclusive philosophical viewpoint. That would make Christianity into an -ism or a religion, like all the others that follow dead gods.
We have the gift of discernment through the Holy Spirit, so there’s no need to wonder about anything. This gift is a “point of use” article of our spiritual armament. It’s meant to be used at the right time, in the right place, and in the right way.
That gift isn't so lofty or otherworldly that we should only use it on formally ‘spiritual’ matters. The gift of discernment is given exactly to use in the situations I am describing. This is where our Christianity leaves the coffee social after the service and the delightful bible study fellowship and strikes terror like a divine lightning flash into the guts of demons who amuse themselves by small, incremental unimprovements to their patients (for they are doctors, only of a very different sort from the great Physician).
Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the one who was dead but is now alive, and lives for evermore. Their gods, whatever they call them, were never alive, are dead now, and dead for evermore.
Holy prophet Isaiah keeps reminding us of this over and over again, yet we still can’t seem to keep our feet on the Rock and our eyes on Jesus. But when we are able to stand firm on the Rock of His written word, the divine scriptures, the Bible, discernment is given us when, where, and how we need it, and not for our own glory. We don’t use it, as much as by means of it, He uses us, to testify again and again to the Truth.
Truth is so absolute, so real, so personal, so powerful, so able to conquer through apparent defeat, so able to live even though it is constantly put to death, that when we simply live in the Truth, absolute certainty is granted to us. Again, not the false certainty of triumphalism and religion, but the certainty of the Kingdom of God, in which we knowingly live as first-born sons and citizens of heaven.That certainty replaces all guesswork, all anxiousness, all doubt.
It comes to those who use the gift of discernment,
and do not just talk about it.
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