Matthew 13:10-13 (TPT)
10 Then his disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Why do you always speak to people in these hard-to-understand parables?”
11 He explained, “You’ve been given the intimate experience of insight into the hidden truths and mysteries [revelations into the nature and ways of God] of the realm of heaven’s kingdom, but they have not. 12 For everyone who listens with an open heart will receive progressively more revelation until he has more than enough.[habitually abounds with understanding] But those who don’t listen with an open, teachable heart, even the understanding that they think they have will be taken from them, 13 That’s why I teach the people using parables, because they think they’re looking for truth, yet because their hearts are unteachable, they never discover it. Although they will listen to me, they never fully perceive the message I speak.
As believers, we have been created to engage in the realm of the Spirit; learning to be led by indwelling Truth. That means we must get beyond a purely intellectual knowledge of God by opening our hearts to understanding his holy character and the nature of his righteous ways. The Word of God gives us a foundation of understanding that is spiritually essential; we learn how our holy God has interacted with his faithful, as well as faithless human creation in the past. We learn from the life of Christ how to abide with the Father and be led by the Spirit.
The Spirit makes faith in God practical for believers; we are invited to develop the fruit of the Spirit—experiential learning of God’s nature—so we can become aware of his power and indwelling presence to guide our lives. God is holy and he releases the revelation of his holiness to us as we are open to receive glimpses of his divine character and align our actions accordingly. Therefore, the first step is a biggie; we would have to confess we don’t know it all. If we have already made up our minds about who God is and how he is displayed in the world, then we may actually miss the greatest message of Truth and revelation he has for us in the Spirit. Well-meaning people may even distort his true message by calling good evil and evil good (Is. 5:20). Be determined to keep your heart open—humble and repentant—so you can engage and in the realm of the Spirit by living in Christ’s love. You will find and enjoy the reality of our glorious King and his Kingdom there.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the work of your Spirit in my life and thank you for helping me open my heart up to the revelations of your love and grace which surround me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.