“You’ve seen a lot, but looked at nothing. You’ve heard everything, but listened to nothing.” Isaiah 42:20 MSG My oldest daughter is at that age where she talks a lot, and I mean a lot. She has slowly morphed from a shy, timid little girl into a social, chatty butterfly. Don’t get me wrong, I love having lengthy discussions about everything possible with her, but I do catch my thoughts drifting off sometimes mid-conversation. We as humans have become quite adept at hearing but not listening, and seeing but not genuinely soaking in what we are witnessing. I believe the…
“He replied, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.’ ” Acts 7:8 NLT I struggle with having patience. I open the microwave before it dings, I coax along the red traffic light, and I hate being late. I feel like I am always in a state of busyness, rushing from one task to the next and never setting aside the time needed to listen and rest. The Message translation puts the above scripture like this “He told them, ‘You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business.’ ” How often I wish that I could accelerate God’s timing so that it better aligns with my own. The thing is, if that were possible, I would make a mess of things. There is a reason that He is God, and I am not. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God isn’t taking His time just for the sake of taking His time. He isn’t dragging…
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” John 15:26 This week we have been considering the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I trust that it has been a blessing to each of you and that it has given you a greater desire to draw closer to the Lord. I was just talking to a friend who lives alone like I do. We were discussing how wonderful it is to be able to talk to the Lord when we are facing situations in our lives that we don’t know just what to do. When we do not have anyone else to talk to, we can call on the Name of Jesus, knowing that He hears and understands. His Holy Spirit whispers peace to our hearts. I cannot imagine how people who do not know the Lord cope with life’s problems. I am so glad for the promise that Jesus gave His disciples, that He would not leave them alone, but would send them a Comforter, and that the promise was not just to them but…
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25 It would be wonderful if when we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, we were suddenly transformed into the vessel He desired us to be. But this is not the way it happens. We are human and will make many mistakes. As we let the Holy Spirit work in our lives, we…
“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. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 We have been talking this week about the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to His disciples and which was initially outpoured on the Day of Pentecost. I am so thankful that we can receive the same experience today, and that it brings enrichment to our spiritual life. I am so thankful that as a young teenager, the Lord filled me with His Spirit. Although I did not fully understand at that time what a gift I had received, I did value it very much. Through the years, I have had many experiences with the Lord and His Spirit has been there to guide me and direct me. I value being able to pray and worship in a heavenly language. There are times when we are praying about a situation or seeking the Lord for the salvation of a…
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 These were the final words that Jesus gave His disciples before He ascended into the heavens. He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit. He did not tell them how long they would have to wait. They spent their time in prayer and expectation and finally, the day arrived. We read the account in Acts 2. In celebration of the Feast of Pentecost, the priests were in the temple offering the first loaves of the new harvest, but in the upper room, the Holy Spirit came as the first fruits of our inheritance. The place was filled with the sound of a rushing, mighty wind, tongues of fire sat on each head, and they began to speak in heavenly language. What a change in the hearts and lives of the disciples. Those men who had fled from the garden in fear the night that Jesus was arrested, were suddenly filled with boldness, as they…