Day 92, Year 1 Seeking Understanding of the Things of God’s Spirit

… “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB)

One way for believers to seek God’s wisdom and understanding is to comprehend the things of His Spirit. Indeed, a few centuries after Jesus’ ascension, debates about His humanity and deity had been settled. However, controversies about the Holy Spirit have been ongoing for two thousand years. Today’s verse presents two directions to become the people of God’s wisdom. First, it distinguishes between “natural” and “spiritual” people. “Natural” in Greek is psuchikos, also translated as “soulish,” which means “living according to human desires, separated from God,” particularly referring to those concerned with food and drink for survival, or anxious about daily supply. These people could outwardly display religious zeal but have no interest in eternal matters, and consider the things of the Holy Spirit to be worthless.

Some do not pursue at all the invisible, non-profitable, and non-gratifying spiritual things. This is the characteristic of the soulish, who are spiritually insensitive. Thus, we as believers need to awaken our spirit, cultivating our hearts and spirits. We can feel the greatness of the Creator in nature, gazing at the thousands of stars at night. We can sense the holiness in religious art, or learn about the spiritual realm through some legends or ancient myths. These activities could help us realize the essence of spirituality and reconnect with our hearts and spirit, suggesting we seek the things and world of God’s Spirit. Nonetheless, Christians are not encouraged to participate in the various “spiritual awakening” courses circulating in the market, such as those from Buddhism, the New Age, spiritist, or even mystic teachings.

We should not consider the things of God’s Spirit as foolishness. Instead, we should seek to know, receive, and experience the Spirit. God’s wisdom enables us to understand and connect with the Holy Spirit. Hence, His wisdom would help us to understand other people and the spiritual but invisible world around us with different levels, types, and principles that govern various spiritual things. Being spiritual, or in other words, belonging to or governed by the Holy Spirit, is the long-term pursuit of every believer. We are to seek to know our own lives, to be controlled by the Holy Spirit of Jesus, to know, receive, and experience Him, and to become spiritual men. This requires us to live a simple life without seeking worldly pleasures, eliminate all falsehood or deception from our lives, and seek spiritual self-understanding with the focus on God’s eternal world. We should follow the guidance of the Spirit step by step in understanding various spiritual things and step into His abundant life with His leading.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you think that you are a “soulish” person? If so, how would you change with the Lord’s help?

2) What more activities do you need to participate in to pursue the spiritual life governed by the Holy Spirit?