Psalm 8:1
My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Romans 10. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in verses 1-4:
Romans 10:1 ¶ Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Paul testified that Israel had “a zeal of God.” They had religious fervor, mental and emotional intensity. But this was “not according to knowledge.” Their ignorance was their destruction (Hosea 4:6). This is because the knowledge was avialable, but they “rejected knowledge.” Because they rejected the knowledge of God’s unattainable righteousness, and that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that beieveth” (Romans 10:4), they stubbornly set about to “establish their own righteousness” failing to submit to “the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).
Along the still waters, I thought about the inadequacy of zeal without knowledge—the saint who has a full heart and an empty head. I also thought of the ineffectiveness of knowledge without fervor: it is the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man that moves the Hand of God (James 5:16). I thought of the inadequacy of the full head with an empty heart. Jesus’ letter to the church at Ephesus comes to mind: they had their head straight—they rightly rejected the false doctrine of the heretics called the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:5), yet they had “left their first love” (Revelation 2:4). Compassion without knowledge, and knowledge without compassion, are destructive.
In the valley, I knelt in the shadow of His Cross, where perfect knowledge and perfect compassion converged in one grand gesture of sacrifice that satisfied the righteous demands of the LAW to deliver the compassionate mercy of GOD to sinners. I asked him how best I can walk with both zeal and knowledge; He said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). If you follow your heart, you’ll leave your head behind. If you follow your head, you’ll leave your heart behind. At the cross, humility will bow the head and yield the heart!
At the table, I noticed the wounds of the Cross in His hands as He lifted the horn of oil and anointed my head, and noticed them again when He filled my cup with His grace and pressed the cup to my chest. Goodness and mercy followed us into the harvest.
Praying for revival! 🙏
Going live asap:
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