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FIRST LOVE RECOVERY ARTICLES
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HEAD AND HEART
'NOW ABOUT food offered
to idols: of course we know that all of us possess knowledge
[concerning these matters. Yet mere] knowledge causes people
to be puffed up (to bear themselves loftily and be proud), but
love (affection and goodwill and benevolence) edifies and builds
up and encourages one to grow [to his full stature].'
1 Corinthians 8:1(Amplified
Bible)
'In your letter you
asked me about food offered to idols. All of us know something
about this subject. But knowledge makes us proud of ourselves,
while love makes us helpful to others.'
1 Corinthians 8:1(Contemporary
English Version)
' I want to write about
food that has been given as a gift in worship to a false god.
We all know something about it. Knowing about it makes one feel
important. But love makes one strong.'
1 Corinthians 8:1(New Life
Version)
In the journey of divine destiny,each pilgrim has to travel
with 'the head' as well as 'the heart' as an individual person.
With 'the head',the person possesses knowledge about divine
destiny. The popular slogan 'knowledge is power' can be supported
by the scripture '...a man of knowledge increaseth strength'(Proverbs
24:5). Such knowledge strengthens one's will to be fulfilled.
Ignorance of one's divine destiny only aids the 'dying' of God's
beautiful dream for one's life(Hosea 4:6).
But without 'the heart',such knowledge easily makes anyone swollen-headed.
It is good to feel that one is important to God as one of his
beloved children and that God has a wonderful destiny for one
to discover and fulfill. Yet one should remember not to think
of oneself more highly than one ought to but to think soberly(Rom.12:3).
After all one's calling is by God's grace,not by one's 'graces'
therefore one should glory in God and not in those 'graces'(Jer.9:23;1Cor.1:31).
Finally such pride always and only leads to destruction and
humiliation(Proverbs 16:18,29:23)!
To avoid such danger or to rise out of such a fall,by God's
grace one needs to have and maintain a heart that has and shows
divine love. One's natural loves on their own cannot manage
'the head' either in preventing it from being arrogant or when
it is already swollen with pride. Divine love in 'the heart'
makes a person to become spiritually and mentally strong and
mature to handle different challenges that one encounter during
one's pilgrimage using the knowledge that one has in 'the head'.
It also makes one to be really helpful to others who are either
already on their own journey of destiny or who are yet to start
because they need to become children of God(John 1:12-13). This
is because divine love in 'the heart' causes one lovingly and
humbly appreciate not only one's divine destiny but the divine
destinies of others. Such 'the heart' of love sees one's divine
destiny as a small and important part of the corporate divine
destiny of the body of Christ.
'The heart' of love knows that one can only 'know in part' in
'the head' (1Cor.13:9a;8:2) about one's destiny hence one solely
and fully depends on God for one's fufillment!!!
'For [if we are] in Christ
Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working
through love.'
Gal.5:6(Amplified Bible)
For anyone is yet to have 'the head' of knowledge
and 'the heart' of love for fulfillment of destiny,there is
need to encounter and be encountered by our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ(Rom.10:9-10) right now!
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