Live by the Spirit
As I have said numerous times, sometimes God just wrecks me with the simple truths of Christianity. It is like He takes these basic, fundamental pieces of my faith and opens my eyes, hits me in the face, and changes the way I live it out. Most recently, God has been teaching me this: The Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of God, God Himself, lives inside me!
WHAT?! That is just a crazy thought… But it is exactly what Christ promised and what His work on the cross accomplished. Sadly, though, it seems it is a truth many Christians go through life without truly acknowledging. A friend of mine put it this way. “If the Spirit of the living God lives within us, things should happen everywhere we go. It is the Spirit of God! If you got hit by a Mack Truck, you would notice, so when you get filled with the Spirit of our God, you should see thing happen.” Seriously, I think God is a bit more powerful than a semi, and yet how often do I acknowledge his presence and power indwelling me? This leads me to believe that while it is entirely an act of God that we are offered salvation and the indwelling Spirit, we must seek the gifts and power that He offers. We must live a life that does not quench or hinder the Spirit.
So what does this mean? It means I need to live by the Spirit. It means I need to be Christ-like, daily renewing my mind, purifying my life as much as possible. I need to live worthy of the calling which God has given me, and listen to the Spirit. It also means I need to earnestly seek and discern the voice of the Spirit within me. I need to filter out the selfish thoughts and allow the Spirit to speak through me. It means I must seek the gifts of the Spirit, because with His power, we can do great things. Don’t get me wrong, God’s Spirit within us does not make all Christians into a bunch of miracle-performing, future-telling superheros, but it certainly enables us to carry a supernatural power into this dying, needy world. And when that is motivated out of love for God, and love for others, miracles will certainly happen, and lives will certainly be changed by the Spirit.
God calls us to love this world, and in so doing, He will draw people to Himself. However, He has also given us the power of the Holy Spirit, so that through that love, they will see a power that undeniably must come from God alone. Again, I am fully aware of the basic nature of this post, but I feel that as a Church, we need to remember the words of Christ in John 16:7.
