"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."
Isaiah 28:9-10
"Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine: them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little."
Just as Jesus Christ wasn't born as a baby with perfect knowledge and wisdom - but it increased - so it is with us. Only when we accept and live by the wisdom we receive will we be given more. In Isaiah the Lord is teaching us that wisdom is only accepted by those who are willing and prepared to listen.
Isaiah 28: 9 teaches us the principle of wisdom through the analogy of a baby's being fed on milk before taking solid foods. This same principle is taught by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:11-14 and by Peter in 1 Peter 2:2.
Only by accepting the word of God and by living it will I receive more. When I am ready I will be able to receive more wisdom and continue learning line upon line.
The reading this week is Isaiah chapter 29 through chapter 42.
9 comments:
We have small group studies on Sunday nights in different homes. The study right now is Luke. What amazes me is how you think you know so much having read over and over again, but with maturity a new revealing message is understood that you skipped over for years.
I am going through some struggles with my adult kids right now. Both are not living the life I would like them to be living. They have both made some not so good choices lately and it's driving me crazy! I'm praying for the wisdom and guidance my husband and I need right now to help them. ~Whether they want it or not! Ha! It was so much easier when they could be put in time out!!
Thanks Kathy for the scriptures, analogy, & your words. I so love the "Line upon line, precept upon precept." It is also reminds me of another famous line, "Patience is a virtue." We live in a very fast paced world. Everybody seems to want things & they want them NOW! That includes answers, material things, jobs, etc. But, life does not work that way. I love thinking of a baby, especially the example of Christ Himself. If there's anything worthwhile, it's worth the time, energy, & a part of ourself we put into it. Life is not easy, but in order to grow & have a strong foundation, we need to do it over a period of time. I always hear & even say, "If I only knew then what I know now..." We are here on earth to learn & grow. It is through all of our experiences we grow, mature, & learn valuable lessons. Yes, we all make mistakes & sometimes because of the choices we make. The good thing is, Christ was & is our perfect example. He showed us the way. And I also love that it is only when we are still & listen do we hear & feel what we need to to progress. It is a continual thing & that's a beautiful thing! It's all the knowledge we gain while here on earth that we will take with us to the next.
I understand your concern about your adult children Stacy! No matter how old your children get, you will always be their mother & you will always care & be concerned. I do believe it was easier when they were small because we had some control over the their lives. When they become of age, they then make their own decisions. Like it or not, they have their free agency & with whatever road they choose, they will have to face the consequences. We want so desperately to save them from that. So many times, I would share an experience i went through to try to show my children a lesson I learned & they would still do "their own thing." It would break my heart! When they would come crying to me, I would say, "I tried to tell you because I wanted to spare you the pain. Why did I go through what I did if not to help teach you & help you along the way?" One day my daughter Chari said something that hit home, she said, "Mom, I'm not you. Even if I have to learn things the hard way sometimes, & I suffer the consequences, it's a part of who I am. I used my agency like I was blessed with, & I learned from it. Isn't that why we are here?" I had to agree, but I also explained that one day when she has her own children, she will learn that when your child suffers, so do you, because they are so much a part of you. Some of my happiest moments have come from my children & some of my most heart wrenching moments as well. You never knew you could love so much! Then I think of our Heavenly Father & how hard it must have been for Him to allow His Son to suffer all He did just so we all could return to Him one day! That's true inconditional love. And, I have always made sure that despite anything & everything else, my children know that there is NOTHING they could ever do to make me stop loving them & I will always be here for them. They were taught to always turn to the Lord because as much as my husband & I love them, it's not even comparable to the love their Heavenly Father & Savior have for them. And, when they feel alone that they need to fall on their knees because there are some things that only They understand & can help them with because God knows all & Christ suffered all so He would know what they were experiencing. What you have instilled in your children, is still there. NEVER stop praying & always have faith & believe. It is when I took the time to quit lecturing & just stopped to listen to my children & waited for the spirit to guide me were there the breakthroughs that I so prayed for. Hang in there. NEVER give up hope or faith! "Line upon line, precept upon precept..." Have a great day & God Bless! Vicki
Thank you Vicki! You have touched my heart and reminded me of some very important things! I appreciate you taking the time to write such heartfelt things I needed to read right now! :)
I love the scripture you quoted that says "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."
Since Christ is the perfect example for us to follow, this is the perfect model to help us to become more like Him. This scripture can be broken down into four parts to provide us with a guide to become more like the Savior:
"And Jesus increased in wisdom" (intellectual goals)
"and stature" (physical goals)
"and in favour with God" (spiritual goals)
"and man" (social goals)
I guess it's these goals that facilitate the growth that comes "line upon line, precept upon precept."
So, it looks like the "apple a day bunch" and "wii fitters" have the physical goals down, "wonky's book worms" are working on their spiritual and intellectual goals, and those contributing to and reading the blog are working on their social skills. Keep up the good work! :)
Amen to all the posts here! :) For once I'm speechless! I'm increasing my wisdom by reading all of this. Thanks! :)
You are so welcome Stacy! Thank you for replying! I could not help but comment to your post. As a mother, I KNOW how difficult it is to watch your children make mistakes & then watch them suffer. I just wanted to let you know that there is ALWAYS hope & NEVER give up. To me motherhood is the greatest gift on earth other than the Gospel. We are so very blessed, aren't we? And what I said above does work. All 3 of my children were married in the temple within a 7 month period last year & put Christ first in their lives. 2 have graduated from BYUI & my baby has 1 year left at BYU. Both boys served spanish speaking missions for our church, THEIR choice & decision! You have raised them right & have been an example to them their whole lives. They will remember that & realize what brings them TRUE love & comfort during the rough times. Just never lose the faith! I am remembering you & your family in my prayers! Hang in there!
Michelle, thank you for your wisdom & pointing out the 4 main things youu got from the reading. Very wise & insightful! I love it!
Julie, hey friend! Miss you! Thanks for your comment as well! Take care & hope to hear from you soon!
Hope you all have a wonderful Sabbath!
XXXX Vicki Peterson
I always come to Kathy's Blog every morning and was intrigued by the comments on the left side. Reading through these confirmed something I heard yesterday at a Woman's Conference. I get frustrated at myself because just when I think I have learned something, something else will set me off and I feel as though I nose dive. Yesterday there was much talk about patience, prayer, knowledge, going back to "soft places". Soft places being a place physically and mentally that you feel safe and happy. From there you can get the spirit and the direction you need. So reading these comments reminded me and confirmed all of that. I also realized yesterday, there were things I knew with no doubt in my heart, and things I was still working on that would turn that from belief to knowledge!!! Thank you all for your input and BIG OLE HUGS AROUND!!! Laura
Thanks for your comments Laura!Please don't get frustrated!We are all in the same boat & here to keep learning & to gain knowledge. The scriptures say you need to be humble to be teachable! That speaks volumes!Thanks for the GIG OLE HUGS! I needed one! Back at Ya! You have a good heart & a great attitude! Have a wonderful Sabbath! Vicki
OOPS! That's supposed to say BIG OLE HUGS Laura! Sorry! :-)
Post a Comment