July 27th — THE WAY TO KNOW
July 27th.THE WAY TO KNOW
"If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine . . ." John 7:17
The golden rule for understanding spiritual y is not intel ect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intel ectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience. If things are dark to me, then I may be sure there is something I wil not do.
Intel ectual darkness comes through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.
No man ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test over it. We disobey and then wonder why we don't go on spiritual y. 'If when you come to the altar,' said Jesus, 'there you remember your brother hath ought against you . . . don't say another word to Me, but first go and put that thing right.' The teaching of Jesus hits us where we live. We cannot stand as humbugs before Him for one second. He educates us down to the scruple. The Spirit of God unearths the spirit of self-vindication; He makes us sensitive to things we never thought of before.
When Jesus brings a thing home by His word, don't shirk it. If you do, you wil become a religious humbug. Watch the things you shrug your shoulders over, and you wil know why you do not go on spiritual y. First go - at the risk of being thought fanatical you must obey what God tel s you.