At only a year and a half old, the toddler would sometimes recite the bedtime story read to her from the night before. And, for the record, the books would average some 20-25 pages long and her every word would be exact! She also taught herself to speak Spanish using just an app on her parents' iPad. And her I.Q. test was so incredible that the doctors had difficulty even calculating the results. Without question, young Alexis Martin has a very rare and incredibly gifted mind.
Every individual is created special and unique by an omniscient God. Each is valued as much as all others in His sight. But each of us have gifts and abilities that are uniquely ours and therefore differ from every other person on the planet. When it comes to the issues of the mind, and one’s personal I.Q., the differences are often quite evident. Some are not blessed with the internal "smarts" as others. And there are those, like Alexis, who possess the intellectual processing power of several so-called "normal" people combined.
But there are many differing kinds and levels of intelligence. This means that sometimes what is hard for one person is almost effortless for someone else. But with that said, there is one very special capacity concerning the human mind that is unique. And it is likewise even more important than any other aspect. It is not about what anyone is actually born with or without, but comes only when someone is actually "born-again".
This special brand of I.Q. is spiritual in nature and is discussed in 1Corinthians chapter two. The passage reveals how those who have been saved, and therefore have been indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, have all been given a very special ability that can see and understand things that those outside of Christ cannot. These are the things can only be grasped on the divine level. The Apostle Paul recorded words of explanation concerning this amazing truth and ability from above in verses 13-16 of the chapter.
“These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For 'who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ.” This special spiritual I.Q. is like none other and worth far more than any other.
It can only be imagined what it would be like to have a monster I.Q. and have the stunning ability to understand and perhaps accomplish so many things so very easily. A blessing like it would certainly allow for great success in a great many areas of life. But the reality is that nothing can ever compare to attaining "the mind of Christ" and having the unique wisdom and perspective of the Creator God at one’s disposal. No formal number can be placed upon such a gift, and the sky is the literal limit when any believer grows in the faith, lives for the Lord and studies the Scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 3:18)
There is smart. There is smarter. And then there is the very smartest!
“For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.” (Proverbs 2:6-7)
Bill Breckenridge
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