Embracing Your Strengths "Who you are in God's eyes and what you're supposed to do about it"
Intellectual Strength
Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all our mind." Matt. 22:37
We have each been given a precious gift, more valuable than jewels or a luxury vacation to some topical island. That gift is our minds. Our ability to reason sets us apart form the rest of creation. Because of our intellect we are able to choose favorite songs, create art, organize messy closets, calculate which box of diapers gives us the best value, and carry on a conversation with a friend. And, because we are Christian women we are also called to evaluate all those things in light of our beliefs--another aspect of our intellect.
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste'' has been the slogan for the United Negro College Fund for more than three decades, and its truth is so pervasive that it has become a common American saying. We should care for our minds the same way we should maintain our homes, nurture our children, and exercise our bodies. We wouldn't let piles of junk line the halls of our homes, so why should we allow negative thoughts and old resentments to gather in the recesses of our minds?
We wouldn't ignore our children, letting them fend for themselves in a fallen world without care and guidance, so why do we think we can make it through life without the guidance of those with more experience. We know we should exercise our bodies and eat healthy foods, so we should do the same for our minds--challenging ourselves mentally through brain exercises like crosswords puzzles as well as sharpening our intellect through deep, thoughtful conversation.
1. Describe your idea of an intelligent woman. Consider 1 Samuel 25:3, 2 Chronicles 2:12, Daniel 5:14, and Acts 1: 7 in your response.
2. While the Bible promises that we are intelligent people, created in God's own image, it also tells us that we are limited in our ability to understand God and the world. Describe the way God limits and expands our understanding of Himself in light of Isaiah 44:18 and Luke 24:45.
We wouldn't ignore our children, letting them fend for themselves in a fallen world without care and guidance, so why do we think we can make it through life without the guidance of those with more experience. We know we should exercise our bodies and eat healthy foods, so we should do the same for our minds--challenging ourselves mentally through brain exercises like crosswords puzzles as well as sharpening our intellect through deep, thoughtful conversation.
1. Describe your idea of an intelligent woman. Consider 1 Samuel 25:3, 2 Chronicles 2:12, Daniel 5:14, and Acts 1: 7 in your response.
2. While the Bible promises that we are intelligent people, created in God's own image, it also tells us that we are limited in our ability to understand God and the world. Describe the way God limits and expands our understanding of Himself in light of Isaiah 44:18 and Luke 24:45.
As Christians, we must understand the law God gives us in his Word. It is a gift to us, and if we fail to learn it we won't be able to follow it. Some of us are able to memorize huge portions of Scripture; others read it so often that it becomes instinct.
3. Fill in the blanks in these two verses, then explain the significance of the difference between the two passages.
In the Old Testament God commands, "Therefore you shall lay up these _________________of mine in your ________________and in your ________________, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your__________________." Deuteronomy 11:18.
In the New Testament He promises, "For this is the covenant that _______________will make.....says the Lord:___________________will put My laws in their_____________and write them on their ___________________; and I will be their __________, and they shall be My people" Hebrews 8:10
Our Intellect allows us to function in this world-to do business, decorate a home, raise children, maintain relationships, and more. But it is also, in many ways, the seat of our spiritual life. We must Know God to love God. Without an understanding of who He is there can be no relationship.
Like wise, our thoughts in many ways influence and determine our actions. Millions of people have purchased the New Age self-help book The Secret in recent years in an attempt to understand the power their minds have over their circumstances. But the connection is ages old. In Matthew 12:34 -35 Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things our of the evil stored up in him" . If we let our intellect fade and numb our minds with useless things that is what will come our of us in the form of words, ideas, or actions.
3. Fill in the blanks in these two verses, then explain the significance of the difference between the two passages.
In the Old Testament God commands, "Therefore you shall lay up these _________________of mine in your ________________and in your ________________, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your__________________." Deuteronomy 11:18.
In the New Testament He promises, "For this is the covenant that _______________will make.....says the Lord:___________________will put My laws in their_____________and write them on their ___________________; and I will be their __________, and they shall be My people" Hebrews 8:10
Our Intellect allows us to function in this world-to do business, decorate a home, raise children, maintain relationships, and more. But it is also, in many ways, the seat of our spiritual life. We must Know God to love God. Without an understanding of who He is there can be no relationship.
Like wise, our thoughts in many ways influence and determine our actions. Millions of people have purchased the New Age self-help book The Secret in recent years in an attempt to understand the power their minds have over their circumstances. But the connection is ages old. In Matthew 12:34 -35 Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things our of the evil stored up in him" . If we let our intellect fade and numb our minds with useless things that is what will come our of us in the form of words, ideas, or actions.
4. Why is it important for us to have a sharp mind and intellect? See Romans 12:2
5. What will happen to us if we ignore the knowledge God allows us to share in ? See Romans 1:28.
6. God tells us that He will search our minds and know our deepest thoughts. How does this make you feel? Match up the verses with the promises below.
Bible Passage Promise
1 Chronicles 28:9 God searches our minds to reward us.
Jeremiah 17:10 If you seek God you will find Him.
Romans 8:6 God is in control of our wisdom and intelligence
1 Corinthians 1:19 The mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace.
Although God has graciously given us the ability to think for ourselves, that gift comes with a price. We have free will to make our own choices in this life, to choose God or reject Him. We cannot be ignorant of the consequences of our choices, And it's crucial that we understand the precarious position we hold in this world.
A little more
7. Paul tells us that our minds are weak--that they are able to be deceived and need to be protected. What must we do to protect our minds?
Romans 16:18-20
1 Corinthians 14:15
Isaiah 26;3
2 Corinthians 10;5
8. What is the benefit of exercising our minds in the things of God? See Philippians 4;7
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