Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Isaiah 40:13-14.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11.

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us….But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:12, 16.

The title of this blog may seem strange and yet it popped into my head this morning because, yet again, we wake to a cloudy day and after days and weeks of that cloudiness with heavy rain, doubts layer into my thoughts pushing their way to the forefront like unruly children. And isn’t that the crux of our problem in believing God? Our doubts and fears build from the things we see that are just as pervasive as heavy clouds…wars, hate, cruelty, the list goes on. And then we come to the shortest chapter in the Bible, and the middle chapter of the Bible, Psalm 117. Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. v. 1-2. That’s it. That’s everything!

I loved the sermon yesterday about the woman caught in the very act of adultery and brought before Jesus…to ensnare Him, John 8:1-11. Her embarrassment, her shame, the possibility of stoning to death…because that’s what we do – we criticize, we shame, we hold in contempt. They held her in contempt and they held Jesus in contempt. And the one person on the whole planet who could have cast that first stone didn’t. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” No one could. And what did Jesus say to her? “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Leave this place of shame and condemnation and leave sin. Jesus can speak what is most important of all and He does it in love. We don’t know how to do that. Our Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, does. His love heals our hearts and minds and gives us hope in Him.

A chance of doubt will always cloud our thoughts because we are human and we sin and we fear embarrassment and shame and condemnation – especially from God. It’s been wired into us from the beginning from Satan and he loves to keep that refrain going within us. It’s good to remember this short psalm that says it all: Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. That’s the promise God speaks to our hearts when we draw near to Him. His love for all of us is great and His faithfulness endures forever! What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13. The mind of Christ who does not condemn but who helps us grow into His truth and His love for all of us. Keep your eyes on Him!

Last night we watched Season 4, Episode 1 of The Chosen on YouTube. Afterwards, they had discussions with the actors in the episode. The actor who played Joanna said of the juxtaposition in that episode of John the Baptist as a baby and what was done to him as an adult, when his mission from God was complete – to prepare the way for the Lord – helped her to see bad people as new babies. I couldn’t help but think that what helps me is to think of people who do awful things – in God’s kingdom. One day they will understand and instead of shame, guilt, condemnation…they will receive God’s love to heal their hearts and minds. God speed that day. We are none of us without sin. Please, Lord God, speed that day for all of us.