- (AMP)"The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts."
- I Cor. 2:11 (AMP) "For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so, no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God."
- Luke 8:16-18 (AMP) "16No one after he has lighted a lamp covers it with a vessel or puts it under a [dining table] couch; but he puts it on a lamp stand, that those who come in may see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come out into the open. 18Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away."
It is "the spirit of a person" that distinguishes us from animals. This spirit, which God breathed into man at his creation, gave humans the ability to really begin to understand themselves. We were created distinct from the animal kingdom and that distinction makes a difference.
Note the clarification of this "spirit" in the Amplified rendering. This conscience is from God - it is not ours, but His. In a discussion with a friend concerning a family member that has chose the gay life, he commented that he tires of her wanting everyone else to legitimatize the lifestyle. His comment was that it is like she knows deep within her soul that the choice is not a God-driven choice - it is solely hers and although she is not "religious" or even spiritual, he is convinced that part of her "knows."
Her awareness grows out of this verse. Our culture, and sometimes the inappropriate behavior of the church, has done much to quash this inner voice. Rationalization rules. Righteousness has been left to competing interpretations. Modern writers in the field of organizational behavior, who have no spiritual base, are coming to the conclusion that a person's conscience cannot be explained away as "religious upbringing" when so many people in the workplace have none. Yet, that "light" is there. Any accountability process that uses the Creator's Handbook as a guide focuses, not only on the spiritual components and ramifications of leadership and decision-making, but also on the foundational elements that are built into each human. What Christian businesspeople have learned is that at the core of managing is the realization that only with a “humble heart” will we be able to see what God has for us to learn about how we “show up” in our interactions with others; how corporate value are expressed in our behavior; how we plan; how we implement our mission.
There is the small problem that before we can be "the light" we must first allow His light to reveal in us those things that do not bring Him glory and therefore are not pleasing to Him. Then, and really only then, can we help each other build extraordinary companies and influential lives.
Have you allowed the eternal light to both reveal and then heal?
Copyright (c) 2005 by P. Griffith Lindell
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