RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘spirit’

The Spirit Helps Our Infirmities

22 May

(Romans 8:26Romans 8:26
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

There are times when I just don’t know what I should pray.  I’ve been in situations and circumstances when I am at a loss for expressing words to the Lord.  I’ve had times when sadness overwhelms to the point where I couldn’t even express myself to God.  Have you been there before?  In the context of this verse, Paul, a man bound in a Roman prison is describing suffering, faith and hope.  We patiently wait for the Lord to deliver his creation from suffering.  We don’t see that hope.  We don’t always know how to express ourselves in the light of the hope we don’t see.  As we go through the suffering, we aren’t always sure what our prayer should be.  Sometimes we just don’t know.

But just as the Lord gives us hope to help us patiently wade through our sufferings, He also provides an Intercessor on our behalf.  Our fear doesn’t stop the movement of God.  Our doubts don’t stop the sure workings of His mercy.  Our loss for words never keeps the God of the Word silent.  The fervency of God on our behalf goes beyond anything we could ever imagine.  The expression of God to Himself on our behalf defies comprehension.  In the loneliness of our suffering, when we can’t even mouth the words to express the sadness, the Holy Spirit is there to express those things our humanity can’t.

Renewed Thought – Even when the suffering makes it impossible to pray, God makes it sure that prayer is never impossible.

 
No Comments

Posted in Devotional

 

Waiting For Opening Night

28 Apr

(Rom 8:19Rom 8:19
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

Have you ever been to the opening night performance of a play or musical?  Recently, my oldest daughter was one of the lead actors in the musical “Meet Me In St. Louis.”  For months the cast practiced long hours.  At the same time, the sets were built and the costumes were tailored.  The excitement and anticipation built as our family became involved (consumed?) in helping with various needs.  The week leading up to the opening night was filled with dress rehearsals.  But these rehearsals were “closed.”  That meant I wasn’t allowed to watch as the finishing touches were put on the performance.  Because I never saw the completed product, I attended opening night as an excited parent and spectator.  I can’t tell you how awesome it was to see the curtain finally drawn back and the finished sets, costumes and actors put on a display that was great beyond words.

Today, we are the finished work of Christ!  Today, we live in a body that covers the glorious work of God in our spirit and soul.  Our outer shell experiences suffering as it faces the effects of a fallen creation.  But the real you, the part of you that has been made complete in Christ, stands behind a veil waiting for that moment when God will throw open the curtain and put us on display as the new creation without the shroud of pain and suffering.  Live for that “opening night” and focus on what is “behind the curtain.”  It’s the eager anticipation of what is coming that helps us through this dress rehearsal we call “life.”

Renewed Thought – Who is on center-stage in your life today – you or Christ?

 
No Comments

Posted in Devotional

 

Is It My Life? – Romans 8:10

04 Mar

(Romans 8:10Romans 8:10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

In 1978 singer Billy Joel released a song that had a melody that just stayed in my head for weeks.  The title of the song was “My Life.”  It was the theme song to the television series “Bosom Buddies” (with a really young Tom Hanks).  All but a few of the lyrics were memorable.  The one line that sticks out even today goes like this – “I don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life.”  If you remember the song too, you probably remember the emphasis on the word my.

We’re taught to “live life to its fullest.”  We’re encouraged to live with “no fear” and “without regrets.”  A while back, Nike told us to “just do it.’  Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…”  We feel we are missing out on something if we don’t sample everything.  Students across college campuses today are living a life thinking that fulfillment comes from filling up their past with experiences.  Young adults just out of high school believe their maturity is based on what they’ve done.  These students are then translated into middle aged adults who still search for that fulfillment.  This is the definition of life for most people.  We are led to live in a way that says, “This is my life.”

Christ redefines all of this for us.  The world’s definition of fulfillment is shown to be empty when we truly experience Christ in us.  He is our fulfillment.  After we experience the reality of the cross, what we do has real purpose and divine direction.  It is at this point we come to the great realization that the “Spirit is life.”  The word “life” in this verse is a noun.  It is something.  The Holy Spirit gives meaning to that something.  My life and your life become defined by Him.  We are no longer the sum total decider of what is meaningful and what holds purpose.  Death is an adjective describing the true state of the flesh.  Yes, He defines life because we are declared righteous.  Our identity is provided for us.  It is not something we need to search out, discover, or provide for ourselves.  His life is now our life.  This is the definition of life for the Christian.

Renewed Thought – The greatest relief you can have is to realize you don’t have to fulfill or define your own life.  Allow God to do it for you and you will experience the greatest sense of fulfillment and purpose possible.

 
No Comments

Posted in Devotional

 

The Real Litmus Test – Romans 8:6

09 Feb

(Romans 8:6Romans 8:6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. to be carnally...: Gr. the minding of the flesh to be spiritually...: Gr. the minding of the Spirit  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

There are litmus tests in the Body of Christ today to determine whether we are considered “good” Christians or “bad” Christians.  If I am in one political party, I am considered “good” and if I am in another party I am not considered to be in line with God’s people and plan.  If I am an independent then I must be an agnostic!  The same goes with churches.  If I am affiliated with one group, I must be “good” and if I am with another I must not be as godly.  But all of this is focused on man’s view of the way things are.  The definition of “godly” and who is a “good” Christian has been co-opted by the political and the religious.  I’ve even been told I’m not a “Bible-believer” because I don’t happen to agree with one of several doctrinal stances.

The real litmus test of my life for Christ is whether my mind is aligned with the flesh or the Spirit.  Political parties cannot define the values of Christ.  Religious and church organizations are not the ultimate definition of the “good” in the Body of Christ.  It is Christ Who determines values and is the true definition of good.  In Mark 10:18Mark 10:18
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.  

WP-Bible plugin, Jesus makes the statement that “…there is none good but one, that is, God.”  Christ, Who is God, is the ultimate goodness.  If my definition of a “good” Christian is co-opted by anyone or anything outside of Christ, I have been spiritually compromised.

Any way you slice it, the flesh can only produce death.  As my mind pursues self and only thinks of self, my actions only reflect self.  How this appears to the world around me is irrelevant.  It only matters to God.  I may have all the appearances expected of a “good” Christian but at the end of the day, the fruit is rotten or dead.  What smells good to the church these days is the stink of self-serving sacrifice to the Lord.  I have to be careful that all my justifications for doing what everyone considers “right” aren’t really excuses to put myself at the center of attention.  When my mind is captivated and captured by the Spirit, I truly pass the litmus test – I am who I am called to be in Christ.

Renewed Thought – Lord, help me to remember today that life and peace are independent of my circumstances when I keep my mind stayed on Thee.

 
No Comments

Posted in Devotional

 

How I Think Is How I Act – Romans 8:5

08 Feb

(Rom 8:5Rom 8:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”

There is a verse in the book of Proverbs that starts out, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…” (Pro 23:7Pro 23:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  

WP-Bible plugin).  This takes away any excuse of randomness in my actions.  In other words, the things that I do are the direct result of a process that begins in my mind.  The word “are” in Romans 8:5Romans 8:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin refers to my walk, my lifestyle, my ways.  It is in the Present tense so it points to the life I am living right now.  I am living the way I am living as a result of the way I am thinking.  If I pursue the “things of the flesh” (Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: – Gal 5:20-21Gal 5:20-21
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  

WP-Bible plugin) it is because my mind is absorbed with thoughts that are centered in the flesh.  If I pursue the “things of the Spirit” (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: – Gal 5:22-23Gal 5:22-23
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  

WP-Bible plugin) it is because my mind is centered on Christ and He is my source.

I have to constantly re-evaluate what I value.  I have to continually check my priorities.  I have to live in the awareness of what I am pursuing.  The world tries to lull us to sleep so that we live a life in a semi-conscious state only to wake up one day in realization that we wasted time and disregarded the opportunities of the Spirit.  This spiritual battle of a conscious pursuit of God is the struggle between flesh and spirit.  The stakes are life and death:  will my Christian life resemble spiritual life or death?

I have to constantly be aware of the environment and those who I pursue in fellowship.  If my environment is characterized by the works of the flesh or those surrounding me are living according to the flesh, I have to re-prioritize and evaluate whether I need to change my environment.  Many churches believe they are only centered in Christ and only preach the Word of God, but when you get inside the door, there is only strife, wrath and division.  This is not healthy.  This is not the mind of the Spirit.  Where there is no peace, longsuffering, gentleness, or meekness, there is not a true work of the Spirit.  Again, the stakes are life and death:  will I live a resurrection-powered life or will I live a life that mirrors who I was before I came to Christ?

Renewed Thought – Lord, give me the strength and focus to re-evaluate my values and priorities today.  Root out those things that are not centered on You.  Root out those relationships that draw my mind away from You.  Be the Source of my strength and every thought.

 
No Comments

Posted in Devotional

 
« Older Entries