All tagged Holy Spirit
Are we working in unison with the Holy Spirit within us as he washes, transforms, and renews us, or do our human frailties cling to the sins of the old man, and slow to a crawl, or stop, our regeneration? Are we cheerful learners, or do we reluctantly bend to the will of God as His Spirit scrubs us clean?
Are we ready to live, and defend, our faith with zeal? If a group who calls themselves believers wants to come into our place of worship, set up a table, and use it for what we know to be a sinful activity, would we stand idly by as they did so? Jesus was a man who had a zeal for God and His house, and when He turned over the tables of the money changers in the Temple, His disciples witnessed this. But, where do we worship today, and where are the tables that should be offending us being set up?
Does God’s will for you seem like a total mystery to you that can’t be resolved, or understood? Do you pray for Him to reveal it to you, but hear only silence? Well, the will of God for you is not meant to remain a mystery, it is as certain as the blood of Christ, as complete as our forgiveness from sin, and we have no part in determining it... It is totally in support of God’s purpose and is made known to us through His grace which flows through Jesus Christ; facilitated by the Holy Spirit.
Do we long for the Holy Spirit? As new Christians, while going about seeking a deeper understanding and comfort in God’s Word, do we realize that God has already sent His Holy Spirit to us for just this purpose? David called out in Psalm 119 for Understanding and comfort too, and just as it is with us in our early days of faith, he really doesn’t know what to call Him. In due time, we come to know His name... Holy Spirit.
Is God enough? Is He everything you need in every situation? Sometimes we think that there is more, and that we must obtain it ourselves. Perhaps it is some detail that we feel is too trite for God, or too insignificant to merit His attention; maybe we desire something that borders on the worldly and we are embarrassed to bring it to His attention. Then again it might just be forgiveness for some sin that we feel is beyond His mercy and grace, but in reality God is all in all for our souls... the perfect meal at the perfect table.
Are we satisfied with spending our lives as the immature children of God? Do we wish to be nothing more than His ward, and sit upon His knee? Is this how we envision Jesus; as a juvenile child that the Father sent unwittingly, and without understanding, to His death upon the cross? No, we should desire to be growing and maturing in our faith, and love, longing to be like Christ who is the head of the church... the groom.
How great is your love for Jesus Christ? What would it take to separate you from Him, and His love for you. Poets have long sought to capture the intensity of their love, but try as they might it always falls short of describing that pool of emotion bubbling up within them. Our love, and faith in Jesus is similar in that we who love Him can’t satisfactorily express the fullness of our love either. So, how do we praise Him?
How often do we look at those of great wealth or success, and envy them? How frequent is our wandering eye that would adore the latest fashion , or the newest craze, and partake in it, when by doing so it leads us away from God? Giving way to the allure of the world is to take a walk down the way of the foolish, and to stray from a life guided by faith... the path of Christ.
Do you trust in the Word of God? Do you believe in it as the rock that you can stand atop forever? From your perch there are you able to see all that He has created, and marvel in amazement at His magnificence, truth, goodness, and love? Do you feel the conviction, dread the wrath, hear the hammer fall on Calvary, and thrill in the grace flowing forth from the risen Christ? This is what the Bible declares to us, and this is our taste of relationship... of God Himself.
Regardless of our church, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, or one of the other Protestant denominations, we all speak of the Holy Spirit, and acknowledge His presence, but we seem to be afraid of what we might find if He were to come in fullness upon us. We sing songs regarding the Holy Spirit, invite Him into our services, and pray prayers inviting Him to pour Himself out on us, but is this nothing more than lip service? Have we limited our understanding of Him to the point that we are crippled? Some limping on the right leg, some on the left?
Loving God, and loving one another go hand in hand, both of these originate in God, and neither can exist in us without His love having first been given to us. Do you have trouble expressing love? Do you consider yourself a tough and worldly person? Perhaps you have confessed your faith with your mind, but your heart and soul are yet to experience Him.
Do you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit against your heart? Perhaps you think of it as a subtle yearning, or even a curiosity that you can’t resist. However it is that you initially experience it, this is God reaching out to you, and Jesus softly saying “Follow me.” It is the same for each of us, whether we are wealthy or poor, tall or short, thin or plump, sick or well, but it always finds us the same... as sinners, and the promises are the same also... salvation, righteousness, glorification, and eternity...
How strong is your faith? You might pray for a miracle, but without faith it stalls before it can rise before the throne of God. No prayer is heard and acted upon without the wings of our faith having been attached to it. Are we like Peter in our prayers? Do we begin to walk on water, but look around us, falter in our fear and wavering faith, and then begin to sink?
Are you complacent in your edification of one another? Do you speak of your faith in Jesus Christ when together, and lift each other up in faith? Do you pray for the troubles of your brothers and sisters in Christ so that they might be spared the intoxication of night, and be ready for the moment of our Lord’s return? We should encourage ourselves and others of faith.
When you were a child, your mother and father comforted you in times of trouble, they would give you words of encouragement and quote bible verses to you, but now you are older, so who comforts you now? Where do you turn for relief from today’s trouble when you are filled with the worries of the world?