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Spirit-fed, Spirit-led

5/28/2016

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” (Psalm 143:10 ESV)

When we open hearts and minds to receive the Word of God, His Spirit feeds us. When we open our hearts and minds to be filled completely by the Spirit of God, listen to His voice, and follow His instruction, His Spirit leads us. He is the Good Shepherd who feeds us and leads us along the straight and holy path that leads to Him. (see Psalm 23:1-3).

In a world filled with self-help books, advice columns, motivational speakers, etc., we can save ourselves a lot of searching by going straight to the Bible and straight to God for the help and guidance we need and seek. With God Himself feeding us His Word by the working of His Holy Spirit, there is no better nourishment we can ever find. When we study God’s Word and apply His instruction to our daily lives, we find the answers to the questions that we ask and the direction, meaning, and purpose for our lives that we seek. When we seek elsewhere, or rely on our own “knowledge”, we are sure to be lead astray, make the wrong decisions, and struggle to keep searching without finding. When we trust in the Lord with all our heart and follow His instruction, He will remove the obstacles and make our pathway straight (see Proverbs 3:5-7).

We must let His Spirit feed us and let His Spirit lead us! In doing so, we will have the proper instruction, guidance, and direction to make the right decisions in a difficult-to- navigate world. The world is filled with obstacles we create for ourselves and those often thrown at us by the non-Spirit-led, personal agendas of others. It can be hard for us to navigate our course and avoid these obstructions and distractions. Only God can show us the way and point us in the right direction to avoid these obstacles. Much like a GPS provides the best directions and offers the most accurate course of travel to our vehicles, only God, through the working of His Holy Spirit, provides the proper instruction and accurate course of travel for our lives.

When we walk in God's Word, we never walk alone. We walk in the way of and with the Holy Spirit and He will always lead us in the right direction. We have the confidence of knowing that God is with us every moment of our life guiding us on our way!

Jesus said He would always be with us - even until the end of the world (see Matthew 28:20) and He promised to give us His Spirit to teach us and guide us (see John 14:26). The Spirit of the Living God lives within us by the power of His Holy Spirit (see 1 John 4:13). Jesus gives us the gift of His Spirit so that we will never walk alone - His Spirit feeds us and leads us! No self-help book, advice column, or motivational speaker can do that!

Father, we pray to You as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know that You live inside of us and that You are with us at all times. We have the confidence of knowing that You will always feed us and always lead us by Your Word through Jesus Christ, Your Son, by the working of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for guiding us along the way that leads us to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. †

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No Greater Love

5/15/2016

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“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:12-13 ESV)

Here Jesus gives us a “New Commandment” - to love one another as He has loved us. Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life for us. There is no greater love - there can be no greater sacrifice - than this. As disciples of Christ, we are called to love one another with this same unselfish love.

While all of us may not be called to physically die for someone (though if called to do so, we should respond without hesitation), we can still offer our sacrificial love for others in many different ways. When we put the needs of others before our own, we extend this kind of selfless love. When we sacrifice of ourselves for the benefit of others, we demonstrate this wonderful, sacrificial love. Putting “you before me” is the core of this concept. By putting others first, we give of ourselves selflessly and sacrificially for their needs. We lay down (put aside) our life for the sake of theirs - regardless of the cost.

Jesus always puts our needs first. He is the Good Shepherd that laid down His life for His sheep (cf. John 10:11). He saved us by sacrificing Himself for us on the cross. He suffered and died in our place that we would be healed and have everlasting life (see Isaiah 53:5 and John 3:16). He was the Suffering Servant that always gave of Himself for the benefit of others. He did not come to be served but to serve, and He gave His life as our ransom (see Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). There is no greater love than the love He has shown to us.

Christ is our example of how we are to love one another. We are to give of ourselves as He gave of Himself. It is when we show the love of Christ to others that we live out His commandment. When we do so, we make an impact on the lives of those around us. When we do so, we “re-present” the love of Christ to the world.

There is no greater love than the love of Jesus Christ. Let us love one another in the same way that He loved us!

Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your sacrificial love. We thank You for laying down Your life for us. Teach us, Lord, to love one another as You have always loved us. Teach us to live and to love by Your example. There is no greater love than Yours. In Your name we pray, Amen. †

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Our Spiritual Trainer

5/3/2016

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“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26 ESV)

In today’s world, there is an intense focus on health and wellness. Many people have personal trainers, nutritionists, etc., to provide personal instruction and assistance with their diet and exercise programs. While diet and exercise are integral to our physical and mental health, we must be sure not to overlook our spiritual health above all.

While the mind and body are vital components in our total health and well-being, we, as human beings, are actually trichotomous rather than simply dichotomous in nature. That is, God created us with a three-part nature consisting not only of mind and body but also of soul (spirit). And of the three, while all are vitally important to our health and well-being, the spirit is, undoubtedly, the most important because through our spirit, The Spirit of the Living God lives within us and guides, teaches, and directs us. When our spirit completely embraces God’s Spirit, we will truly experience communion with God and attain the proper nourishment that feeds our mind, body, and soul. It is through this spiritual communion with God that we become completely healthy and whole.

In His Great Commandment, Jesus told us that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (cf. (Luke 10:27; Mark 12:30; Matthew 22:37). Note that while all three of these passages are rendered with a slight difference in the Synoptic Gospels, the reference to the "soul" is common to each. When we truly love God with all our soul, His Spirit fills us and dwells within us. When our soul becomes completely filled with His Spirit, He spiritually trains us and teaches us His ways.

Proverbs 3:5-8 tells us to put our trust in the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. He will guide us, teach us and provide us with the healing and nourishment we need. When we ignore His instruction, and follow our own, we are sure to lead ourselves astray and certain to fail. When we do not open ourselves to be completely filled by His presence, we will be spiritually lacking and spiritually unhealthy as a result. We must trust in Him and embrace Him with our spirit and allow His Spirit to feed us with His spiritual food. We cannot live by bread alone but by His Word which He has given to us by His Holy Spirit (see Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). God feeds us the spiritual bread we need to live through His Word - His written Word that is scripture, and the Living Word (Logos) that is Jesus Christ.

We must have the Holy Spirit as our full-time Spiritual Trainer to guide us and teach us His ways. This is the only way to attain the complete health and wellness we ultimately seek. In John 14:26, Jesus promised us that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to be with us and to teach us all things. We cannot learn these things on our own. Without the Spirit as our Trainer, we will be lost in our own efforts.

We need to develop a spiritual workout plan through prayer in the Spirit. While we cannot develop this plan on our own, we must pray without ceasing and study God’s Word for the guidance of the Spirit and He will intercede for us and illuminate us. It is through prayer and the study of God’s Word that the Spirit fills us and teaches us. He will train us and make us healthy and whole in mind, body, and soul.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be our Spiritual Trainer and Spiritual Nutritionist!

Father we pray in sincere earnest for You to send Your Holy Spirit to fill us to overflowing and train us in Your ways. Teach us, guide us, and nourish us so that we will be healthy and whole in mind, body, and soul through our communion with You. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. †

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