THE TABLE OF THE LORD CANNOT REMEMBER BY LAW Remembrance cannot be effectively mandated by law. If this could be achieved, the Israelites would never have forgotten their deliverance from Egypt, the giving of the law at Sinai, or the capture of Jericho--but they forgot them all. The proper remembrance of Jesus requires faith, something the mind cannot produce. It also requires affection, a heartfelt attraction to the Person of Jesus Christ. These are things Law cannot accomplish. Tomorrow:
"Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils" -- 1 Corinthians 10:21
Devotion 8 of 14
It is true that we "serve" the law of God with our "mind" (Rom 7:25). As used by the Holy Spirit, the "heart" appears to have a greater spiritual capacity than the "mind." It can sanctify the mind, directing it into spiritually profitable areas of contemplation. When Paul desired the church to receive insight, or "spiritual understanding" (Col 1:9), he expressed himself in the following manner. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe" (Eph 1:17-19). The mind cannot comprehend such things; the heart can!
When we gather at the table of the Lord, our hearts are summoned to the forefront. Cold logic is not appropriate at this table. The perception of the depth of the love of God is to be found while we eat the bread and drink the cup. By faith we can even "understand" the worlds were "prepared by the Word of God" (Heb 11:3). I do not believe our minds are capable of understanding that, because it lies outside the realm of sense and time.
Likewise, the discernment of the body of Christ (1 Cor 11:29) is something to which the mind is not equal. This is a function of the heart, and is accomplished in the realm of faith. This is something that cannot be satisfactorily explained by a language study. Suffice it to say, we are by no means excluding the activity of the mind at the Lord's table. Rather, we are allowing for the proper supervision of the mind by the heart.
These things are intimidating to individuals who have an inordinate affection for academia. They suppose that such affirmations encourage a neglect of the mind, and disparage disciplined thought. However, this is not at all the case. When the heart is properly affected by the truth, it calls the mind into disciplined involvement. It is then, and only then, that "the law of our mind" becomes correct. The belief of and affection for the truth of God necessarily precede the development of a spiritual intellect.
At this table, the basic part of our spiritual nature is addressed. That is what makes the occasion so powerful.
This commandment was given to Israel. It is a summation of the first table of the Law. "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deut 6:5, NASB). There is no vagueness in this command--nothing that would prohibit the mind from grasping it. The words are clear, and the intent is obvious. Even if you do not understand the full intent of "heart," "soul," and "might," the sense of the words are clear--even to the unlearned. God requires our love--all of it. He will not compete with others for our affection and devotion. However, this information, as precise and understandable as it is, was never fulfilled by Israel. The testimony of God concerning those to whom this word was addressed is given in Scripture. "All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom 10:21). If information itself could induce the love of God, surely the commandment of Almighty God would have accomplished it.
Christ appeals to a higher principle. His words, "This do in remembrance of Me," assume an identity with Himself. They assume the people have been "washed," "sanctified," and "justified" (1 Cor 6:11). He is summoning us into an activity for which our hearts have been adapted.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank you in Jesus Christ for a new heart and a new spirit that can properly direct my mind.