But when God,
who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to
reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not
consult any man, Galatians 1:15-16
Spiritual discernment, perception, understanding and
intelligence are all too rare. The causes are many. The engrossment with the
work and its multifarious concerns; the rush and hurry of life; the restless
spirit of the age; these, with an exhaustive provision of external religious
facilities, all tend to render the inner place of Divine speaking inoperative or
impossible of functioning. Perhaps we have forgotten that the Bible is not only
a revelation, but also contains a revelation, and that that deeper spiritual
content is only possible of recognition and realization by such as have had
their eyes and ears opened; in other words – who have been awakened. Some of
the Lord's most faithful servants are still only occupied with the letter of
the Word, the contents of books, topics, themes, subjects, outlines, analyses,
etc., and in the deepest sense are not in "revelation." (This is not
meant as a criticism). The difference too often is that of a ministry to the
mind or head, and not one to the heart or spirit. The former will sooner or
later tire and weary both the minister and those ministered to. The latter is a
ministry of Life to both, and is inexhaustible in freshness.
Whether it comes at the beginning or later, it is the greatest
day in our history of which we can say: "It pleased God to reveal His Son in me." "I received it, not
from men but by revelation." That is the beginning of an inwardness of
things which may have many crisis issues. One of these is the one of which we
are particularly thinking now, namely, the awakening to see what is the thought
and desire of God at given and specific times. Such a revelation – through the
Scriptures – is nothing less than revolutionary, though usually costly.
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