Life in the Spirit

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Just some parrots at the Cincinnati zoo. They know how
to rest and enjoy their perch in life!



Scripture:


Rom. 8:9   But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.


Observation:


Followers of Jesus are born again into the Spirit of God. This Spirit drives our lives, not our flesh, because it is the Spirit of Christ that creates new life in and through us. We are connected to the Triune God through the Spirit. Sometimes we fail to see the power in the Spirit, but this is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, that gives us life. We are empowered for daily living, and eternal life. 


Application:


I’ve been absent from this blog for quite some time. I can assure you that I’ve been in the word — but not in the way that I like to be — when I’m here. I’ve learned through life that this practice of studying the word and allowing it to indwell my life and to be my guide has been invaluable. The last few months have been some of the craziest of my life as I have prepared for my first General Assembly as a General Superintendent, and also as chair of the Board of General Superintendents. There have been numerous messages to prepare and details to cover. I have been in many different time-zones and found myself extremely tired. There have been days when I have been weary to the bone. It’s been in this season that I have taken to listening to the word every day, and playing praise and worship music to encourage me along the way. I believe this has been a season, and we all face different seasons in our lives, when we have to do things differently. However, this morning, I’m back in my chair where I like to sit and study the word. I have my cup of tea beside me, and I have two more weeks to be in the chair for the Board of General Superintendents. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and this season is coming to an end. I am able to return to this place where I can, once again, soak in God’s word. I have missed this spot — and the solitude of being with my dear friend. 


The flesh can take over our lives in one big hurry. Yes, seasons of the urgent can creep into our lives. But Paul reminds us that we are not people of the flesh, but of the Spirit. A week ago last night I had the privilege of preaching to our young people at the Nazarene Youth Conference in Tampa, Florida. It was there that I talked about living in the Spirit — by standing in the overflow of God’s holy love day in and day out — like standing in a waterfall. To live life in the Spirit we need to dwell in the overflow on a daily basis. We can’t be the kind of Christ-follower that we are called to be without the Spirit, or we will become dry and brittle, and find ourselves easily breakable. The Spirit gives life — which also makes us malleable and flexible. The things that we encounter in life will not break us, but they just may shape us into who God intended for us to be. 


We live in a world that is looking for labels. Everyone wants a diagnosis, or something to explain why they are the way they are. We take all kinds of tests to determine our strengths, or our “number.” While self-awareness is good, may it never become and excuse. God can take who we are in the flesh, fill it with the Spirit and enliven us to be far more than what the world could ever imagine. That’s the beauty of the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. That power is available to us today. 


I’ve missed being in my chair — and simply resting in the overflow. It’s good to be back. 


Prayer:


Lord, I need your Spirit today — and every day. Amen. 

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