Secret wisdom of God--can we know Him? Yes, we can

Today, I'm going to let God speak for Himself. I'm sure He thanks me. LOL Enjoy and be blessed:

We have the mind of Christ!

1 Corinthians 2:7-16 (New International Version)

7No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"—

10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"

But we have the mind of Christ.

Those of us who have regretted and apologized to God for our wrong thoughts and words and actions, asked for help to do better, and asked Jesus to be our Savior and made Him Lord to love and obey, have received eternal life. We will go to Heaven and have a great time, ruling and reigning and praising God. And in this world, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The promise is that He helps us to understand God. The promise is, we have Christ's mind. Big promise!

Do we always make ourselves available to all of this? Do we receive the Holy Spirit as a welcome indweller who is free to do what He chooses in us and through us? Especially in these Post-Modern days? That is the question.

God says He doesn't change.

Jesus says He doesn't change.

The Spirit doesn't change.

Who changes?
_______

My character, Maggie, thinks she has all the answers she needs. A church-goer, she's now a happy-go-lucky new bride on her honeymoon. But she does not have the mind of Christ and goes exploring where she does not belong. She had married a Navy pilot and later dates a killer. Does she find out in time? Of course. And she gets her joy back, and this time, a real relationship with God. I like happy endings.

Pardon me, I think we dropped something.

Well, yes, I think we did, somewhat.

An excellent book, Simple Social Graces by Linda Lichter, ought to have a stronger and more descriptive title. It sounds like a nice little etiquette book. Not.

It covers the alarming loss of quality of life, today, compared to the gracious way of life of the Victorian Era.


And no, Lichter says, the Victorians weren't prudes. Freud gives us that impression. He wrote in the Victorian era, about abnormal, unhappy people. Not much is written about average, happier people, because they were not what Freud or Jerry Springer or even Oprah would ever have the opportunity to interview. The Victorians were reticent, respectful and discreet. Some things, they kept private and special. Even sacred. Imagine! But they were not prudes. Queen Victoria really gets an unfair rap, Lichter writes. You'd be surprised.

Mainly, Lichter says that without manners and morals, we are at the mercy of one another's whims.

Women, being smaller and more vulnerable, will not come out ahead! Read this book!

And this rant is not to lay a guilt-trip on women who have to work in order to put food on the table. My heart and blessings go out to those women.

But to those who just want to go out and "find themselves," as they used to say a lot, I suggest: Wait! Stay home. Before your kids get lost. Before you and society get lost!

A woman who trains her children well definitely is worth more than rubies.

My heroine is the diligent, devoted mother of a baby girl. The baby contracts an illness that has no cure but prayer. The heroine is also an artist, and rather fits the stereotype--emotional. Sad to say, because of a desperate need to find a certain answer, she's been dabbling in the occult and paying the price.

And she doesn't know it, but one of the important men in her life is a murderer.

Most of us don't have such problems! We just have to decide what to cook for breakfast. For our maids. I'm still workin' on the maids part.

Then I'll have more time to write!

Brandilyn Collins blogged today about this in reference to thoughts by James Scott Bell, more specifically, on cruelty in the arts. For more on that, click on Brandilyn's Forensics and Faith.

Condolences to author Sara Mills

My heart goes out to my Canadian friend, Sara Mills on the death of her husband. I met her at an ACFW conference and thoroughly enjoyed her witty sweetness.

Sara has written two mysteries set in NYC in 1947, when clothes were clothes. I can't wait to read them. Just bought Miss Fortune. It looks like my kind of time and place. (Before my time, of course. LOL)

You can buy it used already, but Sara has three kiddos, so I hope everyone will pay full price.

You may read more about Sara and her books by clicking here and visiting my friend Cara Putman's blog.

Sara, sending you and your family (((BIG HUGS))) and blessings and God's peace.