Good News Shoes

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. […] Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.’ CHAMBERS

 

As I was reading this devotion from Chambers, so many thoughts were running through my mind about the nature of our salvation.  Our first birth was not our choice .. but God knew us before we were formed … our second birth was our choice … and still God knew us …

 

His Spirit is in us .. 24/7 …. But we seem so unaware of His presence in us …. Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthian church applies to the church in America ….

 

1 Corinthians 6:19 ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.’

 

In the movie, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (I think that’s the one) , there is a scene where a choice must be made as to which cup is the Holy Grail (the cup that Jesus drank from at the last supper).  It was not the beautiful cup like everyone thought but the simple earthen cup.  And so it is with us.

 

2 Corinthians 4:7-10  ‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body’

 

God uses us to show the world His Son.  Our ability to do that is by  His Spirit.  In fact, if there is anything spiritual that we show in our life, its source is His Spirit in us. Our challenge to is be aware of the Spirit’s presence ..and we do that by cultivating our relationship with the Father through the Word and the Spirit.

 

I Thessalonians 5:19 says ‘Do not quench the Spirit’  Although the Spirit is in us, we can ignore the influence of the Spirit and let our flesh rule our life.  Ever been there?  It is a constant struggle … one that we have to prepare ourselves for every day.

 

Galatians 5:24-25 ‘And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.’

 

It’s a decision we make, not something that happens by magic.  Disciples comes from the same root word as discipline … which is intentional … even difficult … it requires effort on our part … Are you up for it?  Put on your good news shoes and let your light shine …..

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)