“27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” 1 John 2:27
In 2009 it came when reading the linage of Jesus, the verse “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:16) The revelation was that Jesus was ACTUALLY a man. He had a mother and father. He laughed, played, loved, lived; he lived a life……the life of an average man. But, he was far from it, far, far, from average. Not an earth shattering revelation, but it was what I needed; because I soon after read: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) It was a great comfort to know that he had been where I was at; that Jesus, had walked this road of life before, and he knew my hardship. He knew them, not just in theory, but also in practice. In 2010 it came when my eyes landed on the verse “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28) God then led my mind to the scripture: “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) If I was given the task to place the savior of this world in a home, in a family, I do not think that I would have picked Mary. I do not think anybody would have. “Hath not God chosen the poor in this world rich in faith?” (James 2:5) Mary helped me to see, that God sees not as man sees……Thank God for that. In the year 2011 it came when reading about John; when I read: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.” (Luke 1:15) God then took my thoughts to the life that John lived: he wore raiment of camel’s hair, ate locust and wild honey. He was an evangelist, preacher, no certain dwellings, and practically no material wealth to his name; he was persecuted, and eventually beheaded. This man was great in the sight of God. My Christmas revelation in 2011 was: this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, requires sacrifice.
Every year I read the Christmas story and every year a new revelation. God reveals something in it that I had never caught before. The gift of spiritual revelation is a wonderful thing. When you’re in the place and the Spirit comes down, the Bible comes alive to you, it fills and thrills your heart, and you walk away full, but longing for more. I cannot explain it, but if you ever experienced it you know what I am talking about. The gift of spiritual revelation is a precious, precious thing. You will not find it under a tree, but it is a gift all the same. It’s not something that you nag and beg for, it is given, and it is something that can only be found when you’re in the Spirit, and you will not have true revelation unless it is by the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2).
My thoughts this week have been on the precious gift of spiritual revelation. The gift that keeps on giving.
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