A painting is physical. The beauty of a painting is spiritual. Physical things can be consumed, can wear out. The spiritual doesn’t. The physical can be weighed and measured. The spiritual cannot.
One can read the pronouncements of George Patten. However, quoting the commands of General Patten will not reproduce his leadership. There is no pound box or 3 yards of leadership. Leadership is not consumed by 10 soldiers or 1000 soldiers. Thus, leadership must be spiritual.
Wisdom is the capacity to distinguish which is physical and which is spiritual.
The Bible, the operations manual for man that was written by the Manufacturer, distinguishes between the physical and the spiritual. Galatians 5 says, “the works of the physical are these: adultery, fornication, wrath, envy, murder, drunkenness” and such. Reads like the topics on the cover of the tabloids in the grocery line. On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit is: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness and temperance.” These are the things that polls repeatedly show are what the world is looking for. What the world seeks.
While mankind claims to be seeking spiritual ends he regularly employs physical means. We would call this being foolish or unwise. One cannot achieve spiritual ends using physical tools.
A new kitchen is physical. Joy is spiritual. While a new kitchen might make one happy for a time, kitchens cannot create Joy.
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A building is physical. Love and peace are spiritual. One cannot build a physical building with the spiritual tools of love and peace. Trying to find love, joy and peace with physical tools or trying to build a building with spiritual tools reveals an absence of wisdom.
The Scripture (God’s operators manual) says if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1). How does one receive wisdom from God? By asking, in prayer. Prayer is spiritual. One cannot measure or weigh it. God’s presence is spiritual (John 4:24). Thus, as we confront the struggles of life, if we desire the presence or mind of God, we may have it through prayer.
When Christ was on earth, his ministry was quite brief. Just three years. During those 36 months he changed the world for all time. One can today look at the globe and observe that where his Spirit is strongest love, joy and peace are most prevalent. Where his teachings are most rejected, death and poverty are greatest.
So, it might be instructive to observe how Christ, as a man, used his time while here on earth. And, it is very clear that He prayed. Repeatedly, He would use His valuable time to go off privately, to pray. Prayer must be important.
Indeed, if we are seeking love in our life or family. If we lack joy in our hearts. If we need peace in our home or nation we are instructed where to look. God’s Spirit is the source of these things man is seeking. We can have them in our hearts (minds) by asking. And we ask by the powerful instrument of Prayer.
“Let this Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men:
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“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.”
When our mind just doesn’t have the answers to life, work or family, God has told us the wise place to look for the answers to Him. We can talk with Him through the simple medium of Prayer. Prayer: that’s us talking with God.
He most often answers us through his word, the operator’s manual, the Bible. That’s God talking with us.
Congressman Bob McEwen (R-Ohio, 1981-93) was a six-term U.S. Representative from Ohio’s Sixth District. He is currently executive director of the Council for National Policy.
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