In the entry yesterday from The Way, E. Stanley Jones says, “We follow a living mind, and hence we are under the law of eternal growth.” (pg 54)
What a beautiful description of God, “a living mind.” It speaks to the creative, thinking personality of God. One of the verses for today’s meditation, John 16:13, reminds us that it’s not about defining the concrete walls of truth within which to live, but a journey of following a living mind into truth. He will “guide you.” It’s not about finding a safe spot to be perfect within, but about growing and changing.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13 (NIV, 1984)
I used to think the Christian life was about understanding the exact parameters in which to live and doing that to perfection. But we are not sheep who are penned up day and night, never to experience or question. No, our shepherd lets us roam the hillside, discovering creation, enjoying the green grass and cool waters—all the while listening for his voice. It is a dynamic relationship built over time, and it is a loving one.
Abraham Kuyper says, “Thinking itself is a spiritual activity.” (Wisdom and Wonder, pg. 68) This is because, “…original thought existed in God. A manifestation and embodiment of this original thinking appears to us in the created universe and to human beings a capacity has been given for reflecting on and investigating this divine thinking in a uniquely human manner.” (Abraham Kuyper, Wisdom and Wonder, Pg 49)
God gave us the ability to think, question, make connections, discover and create. He wants us to learn and he wants to teach us about his creation. But when there is no relationship with the Shepherd—when we don’t know this living mind, we may see the creation but not have the ability to see God in it. We miss a whole dimension of truth.
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