THE BEAUTIFUL MIND July 21, 2020

The title actually means the opposite to the 2001 movie of a genius schizophrenic mathematician.  Whereas in that film, and much as in real life, superior knowledge and giftedness are celebrated, in the Word today in the first epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 2, we read that the apostle did not come to preach Christ from the perspective of a genius or a gifted orator, but one who in humility, preached out of the manifestation of GOD’s spirit and power.

Every day we hear mostly bad news about the pandemic, but there are also pockets of hope and genius, in that there are promises of medications and vaccines.  However, not one of them as yet, has been proven to be spot-on effective in eradicating the virus and the threat of its scourge.  The wisdom of this world even, when we watch and listen to the news reports, only serve to exacerbate our fear and panic, leading to restlessness, depression and hopelessness.

Meanwhile, when we turn to the one authoritative source that goes to the core of our being, GOD’s Word, it tells us plainly what we need to understand and what we need to see.  And here are some of the things we need to remember:

1.  The testimony of GOD was revealed to all people on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, because His death serves as payment for our sins, and reconciled us back to our Maker.  The world and the people that does not understand that truth, will only “come to nothing” (verse 6).

2.  That our faith does not stand on man’s understanding, logic or wisdom, but on the power of GOD over our lives and our future.  It is unseen, unfathomable, cryptic most times, and yet, like dark matter, we know that it is there, and that it exerts forceful influence over all our affairs.

3.  That GOD’s wisdom, His redemptive plan for humanity, and His future plan for us in His eternal kingdom have already been ordained before the universe was ever created.  This is not game theory that is subject to validations and reworks, constant debugging or updates, but an actual working / action plan that has been going on for millennia and is still very active and alive even to this moment.

4.  That the great things GOD has prepared for those who love Him could not be fathomed or measured or even theorized by the world’s most brilliant minds, but only revealed to us by His Spirit.  We do not need visionaries or a third eye to see these, but only “…with the heart, that one can see rightly”, since, “…what is essential is invisible to the eye”.

5.  GOD’s Spirit searches out and exposes all things: our own meagre efforts at trying to be the best, the futility of our dependence and confidence on what we have and possess materially, all count as nothing compared to the deeper truths or things of GOD, and the boundless and bottomless storehouse of His mercy and grace.  As one pastor many years ago said, “There are no bank runs or bank holidays or bankruptcies in the bank of GOD.”

6.  That spiritual and eternal things could only be understood by a person with a view towards it, and not by those who only think YOLO, or that people’s attention and adulation are all that define their existence.

7.  That the world’s beautiful mind, with its limitations and dependence on theories taught and memorized in classrooms, are in sharp contrast and prove awfully pathetic compared to the mind of Christ, whose effect and efficacy are manifested in changed and ever-fruitful and growing lives, deeper understanding, more liberal generosity, greater humility, and inexhaustible selflessness.

Even if the world should bombard us with half-truths, each one calling each other fake, may we not lose our mind and attention away from the only thing that is true and valid: we have a GOD and a Savior who listens to our heartfelt prayers, cares and provides for us every day, who is not willing that life’s trials defeat us or take away our conviction to live for Him, and who will at any cost make sure that we will not lose hope or lack of anything that will encourage us by reminding us of His goodness, His willingness and ability to fulfill all His promises, and His sure deliverance.

Therefore, let us be encouraged, let us be awake, let us not be delusional, and let us not hallucinate in response to the psychedelic offerings the world throws at us to make us lose time and space for GOD in our lives.  Let us be careful to keep Christ’s gift to us, the gift of the beautiful mind like His.