Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, July 12, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Learning is a lifelong thing. There’s a famous quote out there that goes “Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.” It’s mistakenly attributed to Gandhi (it’s origin is inconclusive) but who said it first doesn’t matter. The sentiment is spot-on.
It’s not like we come to a place where we believe in God and then we’re done. That’s only the beginning. I grew up in a loving, nurturing faith community, and my knowledge of my childhood religious tradition was pretty good and carried me into my adulthood. But it wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I developed a whole new connection to God, and new understanding and a deepening of faith, that transformed my life. And even then I wasn’t done. I went to seminary in my 40s. I’m still learning every day.
Paul is writing to brand new Christians, and prays that God will give them wisdom and revelation as they learn more. Paul’s prayer still stands for each of us, no matter where we are in our faith journey. We can live our faith as if we were going to die tomorrow, but we need to dig deep, learn more, and grow in understanding as if we were going to live forever.
What things give me the most wisdom and revelation as I come to know God more deeply?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
