Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Recently I spoke about verses that are easily misunderstood because our modern understanding does not match the understanding of the peoples of the time of the writing. What occurred to me the next day was something I had not thought about at the time of that writing.

God knew how we would understand those words in our present time.

Does that make our modern interpretation wrong or in error?

Is it possible for God to relate to each generation according to their personal experience? Well yes He can, but how is it possible that this God who inspired words to be written so long ago could make them relevant at any age?

We say that the Word is alive but what does that really mean? Is that an expression of relevance? If it is there is only one explanation which I find satisfying. God is Omnipresent. He has been there from the beginning and He is still here with us today. It isn’t the magical mystery of the written word that brings scriptures to life, it is His presence that makes the Word alive.

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself.

That is just a true today as when Paul wrote it nearly two thousand years ago. The mystery of His will is how we can all listen to the same sermon and come away with a different message. Relevance is personal and no preacher can plan a sermon to fit everyone. All he can try to do is be faithful to God in his preparation and trust that God will be present in the message. Christ in us, God in us, the Holy Spirit in us is the relevant mystery.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Versus

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

This is knowledge Vs knowing. So often we confuse having an awareness, a historical record, an education which pretends that receiving high grades is the same thing as knowing Jesus.

Our lives are meant to be a testament for Jesus Christ, and like the education is nothing more that, evidence. Knowing Jesus does not come from knowing me. You can see what he means to me, you can see the changes in me because of my relationship, you might even hear His words come out of my mouth, but that is not knowing Christ.

The indwelling of Christ is not performed by observation, education, nor witnessing. It is an opening of the heart and falling in love. The image of the bride of Christ is first one of love and then acceptance. At what point do we fall in love with Jesus? If we try and compare that to falling in love as the world knows love, we will find ourselves judging Christ. Is this a person I can trust? Does He have my best interest at heart? What will He bring to the relationship? That isn’t the “love” that He is speaking about.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

We feel and are aware and attracted to the love given before we ever return that love in kind. That love is perfect in performance and appearance. It is a love that we know we cannot match and some of the hesitance we feel in accepting and returning that love is in knowing we cannot return His love as perfectly as it is given.

But His promise is that His love will dwell in us. Being unworthy cannot diminish His love. So just accept it and allow love to do the rest.