2023-09-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
There is a special kind of prayer that is truly worth engaging in called Theopharastic prayer; it is prayer directly to the Holy Spirit. Theophrastus (c 372-278 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and a favorite student of Aristotle. He is best known for originating the study of botany, but also contributed to philosophy. In his treatise, On Piety (see Potscher 1964), he argued that there are three reason humans offer sacrifices to gods: to show honor, or gratitude, or to get a favor. But humans cannot show honor, or gratitude, or expect a favor by doing harm and by committing an injustice. He eventually was Aristotle’s successor at the Lyceum. He commented on animal behavior and didn’t believe in sacrificing an animal in scientific experiments. This was a departure from Aristotle’s teaching that animals are not moral agents and cannot be recipients of injustice. Unlike his mentor, Theophrastus stressed deep underlying similarities between animals. Theophrastus adopted Aristotle’s analysis of virtue as a mean disposition on emotional response and action; that is, for each induvial virtue there are two opposite of ordinate vices, one of excess and the other of deficiency. For example, the outgoing person who says too much and the introverted personality who says too little. The virtuous person gets his communication just right. Similar accounts are made for temperance, courage, and other moral virtues.
Now to the question of how God gives peace. Paul in writing RO 15: 12-13, quotes Isaiah. “And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, One Who will arise to rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Certainly, our foundational passage for this series of messages, GA 5: 22-23, fits into the framework of Theophrastic prayer well. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.” These are all worthy virtues that Christ embodied and wanted us to emulate. Let’s look at RO 8: 6-8, “The mind governed by the flesh is [spiritual] death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” We are even told in IS 26: 3-4 how to find perfect peace. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord Himself, is the eternal Rock.”
Paul illuminated this subject of how God gives us peace, in PHIL 4: 6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We must not just pray for what we want, but must greet, acknowledge God’s attitudes and attributes, thank, and praise Him, as well. That’s what our loving God deserves at the very least. We can put ourselves in a much better position to have our requests answered when we know the will of God, something that arises out of careful study of the Scriptures [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. The key to peace is living a Spirit-filled life.
I’ve written a number of times about what are some of the elements of this kind of life. The Spirit is in leadership, which the believer has yielded over to Him. Prayer of all virtuous kinds and fasting are certainly parts included in a Spirit-filled life. The same can be said of interaction with other believers in church attendance and taking and/or teaching Bible classes. God blesses believers with lasting friendships that add a spiritual texture to our lives. Observing people who are living lives with rich and dynamic relationships with God can be instructive. Emulating our Lord Jesus in His attitudes, actions, mercy, and humility certainly add to our spiritual accounts that must be given to Him. Consideration of the cost of being His disciple and committing to it leads to excellence in discipleship. The Holy Spirit will guide us to living a Spirit-filled life. Learning to watch God at work and counting our blessings changes our perspective toward our Lord’s. Being willing to help our fellow man monetarily and in other ways, i.e. using our time and talents for that purpose, are all ways that God has opportunities to grant us peace.
PRAYER: O Lord, once again we are praying for all the opportunities mentioned above to spiritually enrich our lives. You are a God of such great wisdom that we can’t comprehend the amazing things You teach us through the Holy Spirit. IS 55: 8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” We may not be as wise as You are wise, but we can reach toward Your thoughts and ways, thus bettering ourselves and our spiritual lives. This is an opportunity that You give us through Christ’s teaching and the help of the Holy Spirit. We are unworthy and prideful if we think we can understand all that You do. In 1 PET 5: 5b-7, You help us to gain Your perspective saying: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ [We seek to] humble ourselves, therefore, under Your mighty hand, that You may lift us up in due time. Place all our anxiety on You because You care for us.” You are the One and only God, the God to whom we can pray directly to the Holy Spirit, if we want, and to know our prayers will be honored with Your wise responses. You do this in Your perfect time and way to maximize the beneficial impact of what You have for us to learn. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to write next week about developing patience. As the computer age came upon us, patience and legible handwriting went out the window. This is one of the several unfortunate effects of advancing technology. We all seem to want what we want yesterday! But God has a different idea. First, His sense of time is wholly different from ours. 2 PET 3: 8-9, “But do not forget this one thing, Dear Friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” I would be remiss if I didn’t elaborate a bit on the long-kept-secret truth of God’s mystery. As I learned it, from COL 1: 26-28 and COL 2: 2-4. “The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them, God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles [and Messianic Jews], the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the One we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ…my [Paul’s] goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this, so that no one will be deceived by fine-sounding arguments.” When I use the word, “Christ,” I mean all the personalities of the Trinity. These are the things that Moses referred to in DT 29: 29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, [all now revealed] but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” As for happiness, believe that it’s attainable and even sustainable, because that is what our Lord wants for us. Thanks and praise be to Him.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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