We are never disappointed by our hope in the glory of God, but if we do not revel in the love of God, as poured into us by the Holy Spirit, then where is our hope founded? We have faith, we have love, and we are meant to have hope... but where are we without the confidence in His glory that His love brings? Are we open vessels, ready to receive the free gift of God’s love as His Spirit pours it into us? If so then His glory will shine from within us, and our hope in Him will become certain.
We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and as we learn to do this we long to know Him all the more. God’s desire is that in this way we commit ourselves to Him completely. We use our ever increasing love to seek Him out in every aspect of our lives. Our complete love becomes a means of not only worship, but knowing Him, and dedicating ourselves fully to Him, and His will for us. It is by seeking that we come to know the Holy Spirit.
There are individual aspects to our faith that are undeniable; we must personally decide to believe in, and worship, God, and individually we must be called to Jesus as the Son of God, to live our lives in faith, but these individual acts of belief guide us into something more, a relationship with God, and Jesus Christ. Even further than this, our singular actions of dedication, and faith, are meant to bring us into fellowship with one another. The Holy Spirit brings us together in this way through our love, and faith. Do we have this fellowship, or are we wandering alone in our faith?
When you opened your eyes this morning, and you wiped the sleep from them, did it feel like you were pulling back the curtains in God’s home, and cleaning the windows of His temple? Did you feel like a child who was doing his morning chores before being called to the breakfast table where he would run into his Father’s arms? Well, our bodies are the dwelling place of God, and also His temple, so this is a good way to think of how we should approach the earliest moments of our day.
We are told to study the Word of God, and increase ourselves in faith, but in this endeavor we are not alone. As we strive for righteousness through our faith we have the supporting love of God, the intercession of Jesus, and the constant prayers, and actions of the Holy Spirit. We repeat God’s promise that we are never alone, but do we realize how relentlessly active He is in pursuing that promise? He doesn’t just say that He is with us always, nor does He walk quietly behind us as we go about our lives, no, He pursues us... even reaching into our most egregious sin to extract us.
What did Jesus say about the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, that should thrill our souls? He told us that the Spirit would not only glorify Him, but declare Him to us. In the Spirit we will see and know Jesus clearly, and will also receive those things that God the Father has given to Jesus. Are we ready to glorify God, and through our belief and faith in Jesus to receive what God gave Him to be His? Can we even comprehend what this means?
Do we rise each morning with thanksgiving and praise on our lips, and continue lifting these offerings towards God until at last we seal our morning prayer by offering it in the name of Jesus Christ? This should be how we begin our every day, and enter into our day of unceasing prayer... each day’s devotion being offered in, and through, the glorious name of Jesus.
Is the Word of God alive in us? Do we value it like fine gold, but seek to hold it close to us like a warm and breathing newborn infant? So often we look at the words on a page, or computer screen, and lose sight of their power, and the life in them. God’s Word is more that ink, or a Pixel on a screen... it breathes life into us, and as we study, and pray, it becomes the voice of God within us. When we incorporate it into our prayers it instills His will into our desires, and heals us with His touch... can we truly say that God’s Word is living in us?
We read the account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how His disciples kept falling asleep when they should have been keeping watch. As we read this we just can’t understand how they could have possibly been so negligent, but aren’t all of us falling asleep in similar fashion today? How well do we manage our time? Do we allot an hour to pray, keep our eyes open and fixed on the Lord as we offer our prayers, or watch vigilantly for His return?
When we are not praying for one another it is a great loss. So much is gained through the prayers we aim at our own needs, and relationship with God, but when we pray for others it is an act of love that extends the power of our prayer life beyond ourselves, and into the world. Prayer for others is a spiritual missionary event that takes us abroad, beyond our borders, and into the heart, soul, and lives of others. Intercessory prayer is an act that fulfills a great commandment... loving our neighbor.
We live in the world, and can become so wrapped up in the things that it has to offer that we begin to wear them around like badges of honor, and feel they give us all the worth we need; happy lives, and even the ability to control our own destiny, but nothing could be further from the truth. We have what the world offers us for a brief instant, and our bodies themselves are only here for the blink of an eye... then, all these things pass away, and there is only God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual things of Heaven. Our lives, like a spark rising from a night fire will twinkle, and then fade into darkness, but in Jesus we burn brightly as we come to know God for all eternity.
We speak frequently about those things that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit do to help us believe, advance us in our faith, and correct us, but there are things that are expected of us too as we grow in our love of God. Not the least of which is to live self-controlled lives; upright, and seeking to do what we have been commanded to do.
What do we ask of God in prayer, and are those things actually within His Will for us, or even consistent with His perfect character? Are our prayers true to the tenets of faith, or perhaps something that would bring us or others, harm? Let’s ask ourselves today if what we ask for in our prayers will glorify God, and bring us, or those who are yet to believe, to repentance. Then let’s look inward and determine if we have the patience to wait for them?
Are we bearing fruit in the spirit as we should? Are we listening to the instructions that Paul gave the Galatians when he wrote to them regarding how one should exhibit the Spirit in their lives? We are meant to leave our worldly behavior, and the desires of our flesh, behind, once we believe in Jess, and the Holy Spirit has come upon us, but when we look at ourselves, are we successful in this?
We ask for the Holy Spirit when we come to believe, and when we feel his presence we rejoice, because we think we have received him in his entirety, but is there more yet to come? Are we missing a greater dispensation than what we received during our first encounter? Will God send His Holy Spirit to us in even greater portions, or frequency, if we ask Him?