The Holy Spirit: Moving & Breathing & Making Us Fit for God
“Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
(Romans 14: 16-17 NASB)
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
I enjoy eating; maybe you too enjoy sitting down to a good meal and consuming good food. As we do, we usually find that the conversation AS we EAT is what makes the meal so enjoyable.
A few years ago, we were a family of three persons, and as such, we sat on our barstools, seated all at the counter, facing the refrigerator and oven, and not each other. Still, we shared as we ate, about our day, about our tomorrow, and about our joys and concerns. Then, in 2015, another moved into our home, and our seats at the counter were not sufficient for the number of bodies, so we left the counter and moved to the kitchen table. We now sat three feet away from where we once sat, seated at the table, facing one another rather than the appliances. Still, our conversations continued, we spoke of our day, of our tomorrow, and of our joys and concerns—only now we enjoyed four voices instead of three.
Time went by.
Meals continued.
Over time, I found myself eating a new way—left-handed rather than my traditional right-handedness. Why? I now held a knife in my right hand (the European way of eating), and at first, I had to eat much slower with my left hand controlling my bites. I found that food would fall from my fork more quickly than when I ate with my right hand, but I forged on and did not give up this new practice.
Fast-forward to eight years later; sit with me at the table for a meal and watch me eat. I have not left the practice of eating left-handed at a much slower pace than I ever enjoyed my meals when I ate right-handed for the first fifty years of my life.
- The secret to Joy ALWAYS has been found “in the Holy Spirit.”
- The secret to Joy ALWAYS will be found “in the Holy Spirit.”
The apostle Paul wrote these words in his letter to the Romans.
He also wrote in his letter to the Christians living in Ephesus how we are to walk the Christian walk & not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
“Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.
(Ephesians 4: 25-27 NASB)
BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
Sounds like a pretty easy task—this Christian Walk.
- SPEAK THE TRUTH.
- DON’T BE ANGRY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
- DO NOT EVER LET THE DEVIL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY—TO LEAD US TO SIN.
Easy-peasy—right?!!!
Not so fast there; sometimes we leave the focus of our JOY found “in the Holy Spirit.”
Sometimes, we grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
“How,” we might ask, which is a worthy question, and the apostle Paul continued in his letter to the Ephesians just exactly how—we grieve the Holy Spirit.
“He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has a need.
(Ephesians 4: 28-30 NASB)
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
I have discovered as I taught myself to eat left-handed that I needed to slow down my consumption of food. I NEEDED TO PACE MYSELF. In slowing down, my conversations with those sitting at the table across from me became the focus of the meal MORE than the quick consumption of the food. Slowing down to eat allowed me to truly ENJOY the meal & the delicious food placed before me on my plate. I actually “tasted” the flavor of the food more when I changed the way I ate.
- Almighty God knew we needed a Savior, so He sent His Only Son to pay the price for our sins!
- Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave His life upon the cross so that we might know God through Him!
- Our Heavenly Father saved our soul when we received His Saving Mercy & Amazing Grace!
- Our Father sent His Holy Spirit into every crevice of our being at the moment of His salvation, and we were suddenly ”sealed for the day of redemption.”
Therefore, we cannot “accidentally” grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
- We do this action on purpose.
- We choose to take this action.
- We choose to “give the devil an opportunity.”
It is the Holy Spirit—Moving & Breathing & Living Within us, Filling us—Making Us Fit for God!
The Holy Spirit of God is the most intimate part of our lives.
The Holy Spirit calls us to pattern our lives after Jesus, and as we do, then the image of Jesus becomes woven deep within our being—all because of the power of the Holy Spirit—Moving & Breathing & Living Within us, Filling us—Making Us Fit for God!
Mandisa sings the melody “Unfinished” helping us remember how the LORD is still working on each one of us.
- We must respond & live as the Holy Spirit of God leads.
- We must respond & be the hands and feet of Jesus in this lost world.
- We must not grieve the Holy Spirit through our actions or through our words.
- We must not “give the devil an opportunity” to cause us to sin.
- We must remember daily, moment-by-moment how “the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
WE MUST!
Sounds like a pretty easy task—this Christian Walk.
- SPEAK THE TRUTH.
- DON’T BE ANGRY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
- DO NOT EVER LET THE DEVIL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY—TO LEAD US TO SIN.
Easy-peasy—right?!!!
Our JOY has ALWAYS been & will ALWAYS be found “in the Holy Spirit.”
- May we slow down today & truly taste the flavor of our life through Christ.
- May we slow down, change our ways & learn how to follow the pattern Jesus lived.
- May we slow down & allow the Holy Spirit—Moving & Breathing & Living Within us, Filling us—Make Us Fit for God!
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,
(Romans 8: 28-30 NASB)
to those who are called according to His purpose.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
and these whom He predestined, He also called;
and these whom He called, He also justified;
and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”