THINKING AND SPIRITUAL LIFE
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Devotion 11 of 12

AN EXAMPLE OF PROFITABLE THOUGHT
     The 73rd Psalm provides an excellent example of the thought processes of a godly man. It begins with the consideration of a grievous circumstance, and concludes with the experience of spiritual insight. "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in  riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of Thy children. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for  me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when Thou awakest, Thou shalt despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee" (Psa 73:12-22).

     Asaph, the writer of this Psalm, knew where true satisfaction was found. The good things of God were like "marrow and fatness" to his soul, imparting  strength and spiritual vitality. Lower reasoning told him this should have occasioned his exaltation, but this was not the case. He pondered the "ungodly," who had the advantage in this world, even though they had given themselves to things yielding no eternal benefit. They increased "in riches," with everything going their way. On the other hand, even though he had devoted himself to the true riches, he was "plagued" and "chastened" every
morning. It seemed like an illogical situation. And, indeed, from one vantage point, it was. It was a "painful" consideration, indeed!

Changed through thinking
     A change came to Asaph as he continued his meditation. Leaving the vestibule of earthly logic, he entered into the "sanctuary of God," where clarity is granted. Now, in the presence of the Lord, he saw things differently. As he pondered the real condition of the "ungodly," he saw their "end." He comprehended, when he was in the sanctuary of God, that their present condition was not the point at all. It was their "end" that was the real issue. God had actually "set them in slippery places." Their riches and prosperity would become the occasion of their fall. Thinking themselves to be sufficient, they  would not go to God, and thus would be condemned.  They would be "brought to desolation" when the temporal order was dissolved--and it would be accomplished "in a moment." "Terrors" would overtake and consume them. Their earthly prosperity would be no advantage to them then--and it really was not one to them now! How appropriate were his thoughts when he was in "the sanctuary of God."

     Now Asaph reevaluates his assessment. Being in the presence of the Lord provokes one to do this. His heart was "grieved," and he was convicted in spirit. He had reasoned erroneously, assessing the situation incorrectly. He had been "foolish" (senseless, NASB) and "ignorant," conducting himself like a "brute beast" before the Lord. How did Asaph come into such clarity? Why was he able to perceive the situation so plainly, and even renounce his former assessment? He achieved it in the arena of thought, and the crucible of meditation!

     Many of us will be able to rise in the day of judgment and confess to the same experience. Thank God  for the recording of Asaph's illumination, and the means through which it was accomplished. I will tell you that many people remain in an ignorant and beastly state because they do not enter the sanctuary of God in their thought lives. They never manage to see things from God's
perspective, and thus live in a constant state of bitterness and frustration. We do not need to ask them why they are baffled by life; such inquiries are a waste of time. It is because they are not in the "sanctuary of God." At the very best, they are thinking in the outer court. Many have not even made it that far. In their thought lives, they are still in the wilderness, wandering about, in complete dissociation from the One that loved them and gave Himself for them.

PRAYER POINT: Father. in Jesus' name, give me grsce to remain in our sanctuyary, and there alone consider the issues of\ life.

-- TOMORROW: FINALLY (Final in current series) --
-- WEDNESDAY: New Series, CHRIST'S BURIAL --