Have you ever heard of the Treaty of Tordesillas? If you have, you probably know that it is one of, if not the one, worst land deals of all time between two countries. This treaty also inaugurated the stark cultural differences between Brazil and the rest of South America.
In 1494, two years after Christopher Columbus’s famous expedition, Portugal and Spain were engaged in a competitive conquest for land and resources in the “New World.” In this feud, there was a lot of overlap in the land that they claimed.
This dispute caused the two nations, who were the only two in the New World at this time, to take their disagreements on land to a neutral source to mediate a solution. Being two Catholic nations, the Pope was their obvious geopolitical expert and arbitrator (note my sarcasm).
The Pope’s solution was to slap a line down on the map of the known New World and call it a day. This line is known as the line of demarcation. Little did Portugal know that there was still much to discover in South America and ended up with only the far eastern tip of Brazil. This left the rest of South America, Central America, and any other land in North America protected for Spanish conquest.
Both countries abided by this decree despite them both eventually seeing how lopsided it was. In this truest sense, this is an example of someone ignorant of what they have or what could be.
In the same breath, there is a story of an Australian landowner who lived in poverty near Queensland, Australia. He sold his land to prospectors not realizing that this land would turn into a profitable gold mine, and that could have lifted him from his situation.
In studying these stories and the many like it, I wonder to myself. Could the Spiritual lives of Christians be hindered by ignorance of their spiritual wealth as well?
Each member of the Body of Christ, literally, has the Spirit of God residing in them, but neglect or dismiss the blessing that this is (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The Holy Spirit saves, seals, delivers, intercedes, convicts, encourages, and resides as power in the believer! It is not uncommon for these truths in themselves to be neglected or diminished, but practically?
The lives of many Christians will appear void of His inner working.
Furthermore, a Christian’s ignorance is not made complete without neglect of the Word. The Holy Bible is not merely a book. It is a 66 book love letter, compiled of God’s literal and inspired revelation.
Nevertheless, it is utilized as a mere ethics textbook, if that.
My grandfather has said on numerous occasions that a verse a day is not going to cut it (Psalms 1:1-6).
Scripture is, among many things, a living Word that is able to coach and train the Christian in righteousness (Hebrews 4:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Much like one push-up a day will not prepare an athlete for competition, a quick glance at Scripture will not build the spiritual muscles of the inner man. It requires diligent study and the Holy Spirit’s discerning power (1 Timothy 4:7-9).
Do not neglect the wealth of these two mines, waiting to be dug into. Entrench yourselves within the richness of God’s divinity. Join yourself with how His Spirit moves and be blessed with the message that the Lord has for you, in His Word (Ephesians 4:22-24).
Otherwise, you will be like the fool who does not know just how rich they are. These people have land, but do not know it. They have gold but sleep unknowingly on top of it at night.
Live in the wealth of God’s grace and in the acknowledgement that you are blessed (2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 1:3). Do not leave it as head knowledge but allow it to be lived out as wisdom.
I really enjoyed this study!