I happened to be reading through 1 Corinthians today and something really struck me. It's a verse I know all too well, and one of my favorite footnotes in the Bible.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man's heart; things which God has prepared for those who 3love Him.''
Footnote 93: To realize and participate in the deep and hidden things God has ordained and prepared for us requires us not only to believe in Him but also to love Him. To fear God, to worship God, and to believe in God (that is, to receive God) are all inadequate; to love Him is the indispensable requirement. To love God means to set our entire being — spirit, soul, and body, with the heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) — absolutely on Him, that is, to let our entire being be occupied by Him and lost in Him, so that He becomes everything to us and we are one with Him practically in our daily life. In this way we have the closest and most intimate fellowship with God, and we are able to enter into His heart and apprehend all its secrets (Psa. 73:25; 25:14). Thus, we not only realize but also experience, enjoy, and fully participate in these deep and hidden things of God.
I think the thing that has always struck me is that love is the indispensable requirement. Not believing, not working, not struggling to please Him. Without loving the Lord, it is impossible for us to enter into everything that He has prepared for us. After I read that, there was just such a searching within me, as if I wanted to know the secret. How can all this become my reality?
1 Corinthians 2:10 continues: But to us God has 1revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
Footnote 101: Different from taught. To be taught is related to our mind; to have something revealed to us is related to our spirit. To realize the deep and hidden things God has prepared for us, our spirit is more necessary than our mind. When our entire being becomes one with God through loving Him in intimate fellowship, He shows us, in our spirit through His Spirit, all the secrets of Christ as our portion. This is to reveal the hidden things planned by His wisdom concerning Christ, which have never come up in man's heart.
I was so encouraged. I have to admit that the favorite part of my day is when I can be by myself and just spend some quality time with the Lord. I am free from anxiety, free from responsibilities. Free to just spend time with Him. And to know that this is the way to enter into the depths of God is all the more encouraging. Thank you Lord, that You've even prepared so many deep and hidden things for us.
What a blessing we have. Lord, I want to fully know these things.
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