Anguish

 Jesus felt anguish! His caring acts for his disciples were carried out as he battled his own personal anguish. His teaching of truth and service was shared with the disciples who would cause a significant part of that anguish. Knowing what lay ahead, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for the human race. It is amazing that the infinite God would expose Himself to the pain that could be inflicted on Him by finite and mortal people He has made. Not only this, but He lives within those cleansed individuals via the Holy Spirit. God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit feel anguish at our betrayals and failures to be loyal to him. However, Jesus' sacrifice continues to cleanse us moment, by moment. "But if we [continually] walk in the light, as he is in the light, we [continually] have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, [continually] purifies us from all sin. 1 Jn. 1:7 (NIV).

Envy

"Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?" - James 4:5 (Berean Study Bible). Imagine the emotions of a young man who discovers someone else has captured the heart of the one he loves. That’s the same feeling James was describing when he wrote, “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy.” Very succinctly, James states both that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and passionately yearns for us. This word “envy” comes from the Greek word phthonos, which was frequently used in literature from the New Testament period, thus enabling us to know precisely what it means. The word phthonos means jealousy — an emotion so strong that it tends toward taking vengeance upon someone. The young man, who lost the one he loved, feels jealous and has a deep desire for his former relationship to be restored. He also most likely bears some malice toward the romantic thief. He is envious of the relationship that has replaced the one he used to have with the one whom he loves, and desires to have again. This should make James 4:5 clear to us. The Holy Spirit loves us. He is preoccupied with us. He wants our total dedication. He passionately desires our affection to be set on Him. When we walk and talk like unbelievers and give our lives to natural pursuits, the Holy Spirit feels like a lover who has been robbed. He feels jealous for His relationship with us to be restored. He has divine malice for the worldliness that has usurped His role in our lives. And He is filled with a godly envy to see things put back the way they should be. When you put all three of these words expressing continual action together — dwells, lusts, and envy — this paints a vibrant picture. The Holy Spirit is not a passive partner. He aggressively and actively pursues us because He knows the choices are our own. When we give a piece of ourselves to something or someone else’s control, He wants to seize it and bring it back under His divine control. He even has godly malice toward our preoccupation with other things. As we live our lives in this world, we must work and function as human beings. Jesus didn’t pray that his disciples would be removed from the world, but that we would be kept from the world (John 17:15) {perhaps being consumed worldly desires}. There is nothing wrong with going to work, buying a house, purchasing a new car, or enjoying beautiful clothes and grooming. Those things are part of living an abundant life on this earth. They are not wrong unless they consume and preoccupy our thoughts, alllowing us to overlook the other humans we meet along the way. Many times, the first person to fade into the background is our partner, the indwelling Holy Spirit. The cares of this life sometimes pull us away from our indwelling companion. This hurts Him and causes godly envy. Let’s not forget that all kinds of things can preoccupy our thinking. If we’re called to the ministry, even our ministerial responsibilities can so occupy our thoughts that we seldom think of the Holy Spirit or focus on cultivating our relationship with Him. Yes, that seems like a contradiction. However, it’s very possible to be so involved in good works that we hardly ever slow down long enough to spend time with the Lord, read His Word, and listen to what His Spirit wants to say to our hearts. Sometimes it’s just the cares of this life that pull us away from the Holy Spirit. We can get so busy and so committed to doing so many things, even good things, that our continual busyness deteriorates our spiritual life. With all of this in mind, James 4:5 could be read this way: “The Spirit who has come to settle down, make His home, and permanently dwell in us is moved by an all-consuming, ever-growing, passionate desire to possess us — and He is envious and filled with malice toward anything or anyone who tries to take His place in our lives.”

We live in the world, work in the world, and function as human beings in the world. There is no way to get around that. Jesus didn’t pray that we would be removed from the world, but that we would be kept from the world (see John 17:15). There is nothing wrong with going to work, buying a house, purchasing a new car, or enjoying beautiful clothes. Those things are part of living an abundant life on this earth. They are not wrong unless they consume and preoccupy our thoughts. Let’s not forget that all kinds of things can preoccupy our thinking. If we’re called to the ministry, even our ministerial responsibilities can so occupy our thoughts that we seldom think of the Holy Spirit or focus on cultivating our relationship with Him. Yes, that seems like a contradiction. However, it’s very possible to be so involved in good works that we hardly ever slow down long enough to spend time with the Lord, read His Word, and listen to what His Spirit wants to say to our hearts. Sometimes it’s just the cares of this life that pull us away from the Holy Spirit. We can get so busy and so committed to doing so many things, even good things, that our continual busyness deteriorates our spiritual life. Amazing as it is, even good things, if taken to an extreme, become adulterous in the eyes of the Lord. Only He knows how to balance us, but we have to open our hearts and our spiritual ears to listen to His counsel. That’s why it’s so crucial to set aside time to spend with Him every day. So don’t tell yourself that you have too much to do to spend time with the Lord each day. When it comes right down to it, you basically do what you want to do. If having communion with the Holy Spirit is a priority, you’ll make time for Him. If it’s not a priority, you won’t make that time. It’s that simple. Perhaps you’re reading this today and thinking, I have so much to learn about the Holy Spirit. I didn’t know I was supposed to intentionally have communion with Him. I didn’t know I could depend on Him as my Comforter. I didn’t know I could grieve Him with my attitudes. I didn’t realize how important it is for me to develop a closer fellowship with the Holy Spirit! If that is you, you’re in a great position today — standing at the threshold of a whole new realm of God in your life! His Word promises that if you draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to you (see James 4:8). I can’t help but wonder how many Christians die and go to Heaven — and then find out how much they missed because they never experience a real partnership with the Holy Spirit. Don’t let that be your story!

It

We sometimes here the following scripture used as encouraging words about many things, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." — Matt. 7:7-8 (NIV) But what really is "it"? "it" is not a serious or trivial physical desire. "it" is a close relationship with Jesus and entry into God's kingdom. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him; but Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask Him" — John 11:20-22 (Berean Study Bible) Did Martha really know the meaning of what she said? She probably didn't know the full meaning of what she said, but her absolute trust is undeniable. Martha should serve as a model for us to trust beyond our understanding. This kind of trust is fostered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, if we allow it.

Gifts

The people to whom Peter wrote had developed interpersonal judgement which flows from competition. This competition was mostly to please the Jewish priests who guided them. Life in Jesus, displays hospitality and encouragement; this flows from acceptance of the other person, as Jesus did. In their own view, they may not be what they want to be now or will become in the future, but they are likely not what others expect them to be. When believers accepted Jesus, they also received the indwelling Holy Spirit as a gift to guide them along their unique independent spiritual journey. This is a common connection all Christians share and should guide us to accept the other person wherever they are on their personal spiritual journey. "Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 4:9-11 (NASB).

 

Refined by Fire

Our body's natural reaction to physical pain is to recoil or move away from the source as quickly as possible. However, spiritual pain needs to be handled differently. God wants to teach us endurance--much like a long-distance runner builds up strength in training - so that we can fully benefit from what He is developing in our hearts. He uses trials as a refining fire to purify us like gold and bring us to greater spiritual maturity. As we realize that we are actually being made more complete through our adversities, we'll begin to face challenging times with confidence that He always has our best interest in mind. While a worldly viewpoint sees hope and joy in the midst of dark times as naïve, a spiritual perspective discerns that we're really progressing on a journey toward life at its fullest. We can be filled with supernatural joy, knowing that the Lord is making us into world-changing spiritual warriors. God is always at work in our lives. Even during seasons of adversity, He wants to accomplish something powerful and good. How should this knowledge affect our response? We must learn to choose rejoicing during difficult times. This doesn't mean we have to be happy about the hardship itself. Instead, joy comes from drawing close to the Lord and believing steadfastly that through His redemptive power, He is growing and preparing us. If your usual response to trials is anxiety, anger, or depression, the idea of having joy in the midst of a negative situation might not seem logical. However,  on your unique independent spiritual journey, if you look beneath the surface, you will discover that this biblical directive makes sense for several reasons. In these times, our defender, the Holy Spirit, provides comfort (protection and encouragement). "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." - 1 Pet. 1:6-7 (ISV).

Motivation

Most people work hard if they have a purpose and reason. Visible throughout the human race, some people are motivated about almost anything and others are motivated by almost nothing. Proverbs has much to say about the one who works hard and the alternative. {Proverbs 10:4, "Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich;" Proverbs 10:26, "Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him;" Proverbs 22:13 "The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!"} To some of the first believers Paul would say, "let him who works eat. .  ." - 2 Thessalonians 3:10; the Hebrew writer states it another way, "so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" - Hebrews 6:12. So what are we to understand? First, we need to be careful not to criticize a person for not working as we think they should; only the Holy Spirit really knows all the details surrounding each person's motivations. Jesus healed many who were unable to work. Second, we should seek to understand their difficulties and encourage them. Third, we should seek ways to help them as the Holy Spirit wants, not as we desire. Christians have an important purpose: praise God in all our actions! The reason is that we are God's children destined for eternity with him, that should be strong motivation. Paul's admonition seeks to avoid bad feelings for those who followed Christ when he says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV).

Efficient direction

Many times, people offer great praise to the energy and drive observed in a sports team that demonstrates close coordination and seamless performance of the members. This coordination and interdependence is also observed in the famous U.S. Navy Blue Angel team. Some people say these examples show a spirit of team "oneness." When believers in Jesus are baptized, they become members of the body of Christ which includes other humans who are also on their own unique spiritual journey, allowing the Holy Spirit to prepare them for eternity. They were adopted into God's massive family of which Jesus is the head and all Christians are siblings with other brothers and sisters. "We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body... and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." 1 Cor. 12:13 (NIV). As members of this family, we have benefits and responsibilities. One major responsibility is encouraging others, whether it is other family members or those curious about the family ideals. To accomplish this, the Holy Spirit gives each Christian gifts, perhaps unique, through which He works to accomplish His desires. These gifts may change from time to time depending of what the Holy Spirit needs accomplished. These gifts are supernatural and only come from the Spirit at His discretion. "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines." - 1 Cor. 12:11 (NIV). The believer cannot demand these gifts, but they may request and explore, yet they should accept them by following the guidance given by the Holy Spirit to the specific individual to accomplish His goal of unity or oneness for praising God. 

Catastrophe

 Continuing to sin willfully once one knows the truth, is catastrophic for the believer guided by the Holy Spirit. Resisting or rejecting the Holy Spirit is devastating to a person; it equates to unbelief and unbelief was the reason Jesus could do few miracles in His hometown. "And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them" - Mk. 6:5. (NASV) This is powerful! He "could do" few miracles could also be stated, He 'no power to do' many miracles because of their unbelief. Disregarding His guidance (e.g. once one knows the truth) is almost as severe as premeditated lying to him. When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit, they paid with their physical lives. Based such observations, Paul stated, "How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?" - Hebrews 10:29 (NIV) The work of Jesus provides the only way to remove sins. If one rejects this work, he rejects everything that God is and everything He has given. It is continuously insulting the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This deflates grace and robs Him of the power to act in beneficial ways. The message of Jesus is precious and must never be spurned, rejected, discounted, treated lightly, or ignored. The message of Jesus is precious, and to reject this message is to insult all that is holy. As we follow our unique independent spiritual journey, we must ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Die to unrighteousness

When we drive a vehicle, we have taken on a massive responsibility, to move ourselves and perhaps some passengers from one place to another while not harming other people or property along the way. Most times keeping the automobile on the roadway and "between the lines," is not usually critically challenging. When we consider this is a journey, we must make many choices, but the primary one is the desired endpoint. If yours is the only auto on the roadway for a time, the choice to accelerate or decelerate slightly usually causes few issues. All these choices change when there are other autos on the roadway around us. When we share the roadway with others who have different driving abilities, practices, goals, and personalities, we may find ourselves in a place which can almost turn into a battleground. This experience becomes particularly acute when there are intersections along the roadway. Radical changes in direction can be precarious if adequate provisions have not been made. Many years ago, one culture developed a travel element called a "roundabout," to ease these intersection difficulties. When using this method, roadway traffic did not stop when an intersection was encountered, all traffic went into a circular pathway merging in and out until they could safely change directions. Designed primarily for horse drawn traffic to avoid stopping, this method has remained in some areas until today. This solution was all but replaced by building overpasses, in which one vehicle pass above the others. All Christians are on a spiritual pathway towards heaven. This is a pathway that allows each one time to be sanctified, or become more dedicated to God; people move at different speeds along this pathway. There are many other pathways Christians encounter on this spiritual journey; a major challenge is to choose the proper direction along this journey. When intersections of life and faith occur along this journey, the resulting pathway and subsequent results are not always the ones we might desire. Along this life journey, each of us must make many choices; some will not have the result we anticipate. While an example about driving and death may sound scary, the only way we can stay on this pathway and reach the goal is to die, or be separated from, distractions of the world. We must die and die and die. Every day we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him. Our lives need to guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Obedience

I read once of a person who remarked: "I've yet to meet a Christian whose knowledge didn't exceed his obedience." His point was simple: Most Christians know far more about God's truth than they live. Since the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian and is leading us toward greater sanctification (holiness to God), this should not surprising. In order to escalate this process, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to direct more of our actions. We need to be diligent in searching and seeking God's truth and then acting on our understanding. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." - Rom. 8:14.

Living Water

We may marvel at this statement about water. Why such a big deal about water. Besides being an almost universal cleaner, in the middle East, clean water was very scarce in some areas. Webster defines addiction as, "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly; persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful." Humans are addicted to water, they need it to survive. "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified," - John 7:37-39 {ESV}. Jesus was looking forward to the outpouring of the Spirit and the time when the Holy Spirit lives inside those who believe in him. That time is now! This outpouring isn't a limited supply of water like a cistern, but an unlimited supply of refreshment like an artesian well. It isn't a well of water that sometimes goes dry in the long hot summer, but a supply that continuously overflows. And what is this water, this source of refreshment? The Holy Spirit! The Helper Jesus sends to us. So why don't we experience the overflow? Could it be because we don't seek this overflow, don't expect this overflow, and don't ask Jesus to send this overflow (Luke 11:13; Romans 15:13; cf. John 4:13-14)? When this source is in our being, it is a continual guide along our unique individual spiritual journey.

Confidence

As we live our daily lives, we generally accomplish better results when we pursue an activity with confidence. If the activities are in the physical world, we may have confidence due to our previous training or experience. This is a dangerous place where pride can engulf us. With activity, we need to be confronted with the realization that we do not have all knowledge and we can (and must) learn something from every endeavor. We must also learn that many opinions and conclusions may be true for only ourselves; others may have different and valid conclusions for their lives. This is especially true for our spiritual lives. Each one who has accepted Jesus in now on an individual spiritual journey. Others may advise or support, but this journey is one's unique journey, as specific as their background, to date. The most confident advice we can accept or give, needs to come from the Holy Spirit who lives with us. It is this residence which is empowering us and transforming us continuously along our spiritual journey. "Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." - 2 Cor. 3:4-6 (NIV).

 

Give up

 Step back from life for a moment and consider all that you have accumulated thus far in life. Perhaps you have made it through High School and college and found a vocation you really enjoy. Perhaps you have found people you enjoy being around as much as possible. Perhaps you have gone further and gained higher education and are in a vocation which benefits people as best you know how. Perhaps you are comfortable with your present life. What if you discovered the place you are in life and those things you have accumulated were not what you needed to gain eternal life. Could you, would you, make the changes necessary to pursue eternal life? Jesus asked the rich young ruler to lay aside all the things that prevented this man from following Him (Lk. 18:18-23). He did not. However, Paul did. Once he discovered a love for Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, Paul did just that and writes to his co-workers in Philippi about this decision. "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." – Phil. 3:8 (NIV). Are there things in your life that are preventing you from following Jesus? The short, medium, and long term results are worth whatever you must give up to enter eternity with Jehovah God.

Awe

 While many people don’t usually like to have conversations about burials, there have been some really interesting practices used over the years. The time and terrain has had much to do with burials over the years. Some have been buried in caves, in open ravines, in water (sometimes on a burning boat), or under the earth. While now most have heard of the burial quip “6 feet under.” The origin of this seems to be a plague outbreak in England in 1665. As the disease swept the country, the mayor of London made a law about how to deal with the bodies to avoid further infections. Among his specifications, noted in “Orders Conceived and Published by the Lord Major and Aldermen of the City of London, Concerning the Infection of the Plague,” was that “all the graves shall be at least six feet deep.” This avoided dead bodies piled outside a township. They would be consumed by animals or parasites and gave rise to mass illnesses, usually called plagues, also many people did not like to be near the smell of decaying bodies. For those people who died in arid areas, dead bodies were sometimes covered with a shallow layer of soil and rocks. In the time of Jesus, the dead body was deposited in a cave-like structure. As the need arose, the structure would be used over and over to prevent animals from consuming the dead person or robbers from stealing whatever may have been left as memorials. They would allow the flesh to decay and then move the bones to allow later use of the tomb. To interrupt the mourning process and open a tomb before the proper time would not only produce a putrid smell, but a breach of the burial process. Such scandalous things were not done in the time of Jesus. Empathizing with those mourners, have you ever been at an event in which someone proposed to do an action that seemed either impossible or completely insanely unbelievable? You may have stood in wide-eyed awe. Well, that is what Jesus did. But, He did it for a time of teaching and relief for the family. So, they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me." – Jn. 11:41-42 (Berean Study Bible). Jesus did the unimaginable for the family of Lazarus. Jesus left the Holy Spirit to guide His followers after He returned to the Father. If we trust the Holy Spirit to lead us along our unique independent spiritual journey, He may surprise us with the tasks He makes available to us. It may not be as surprising as returning a person to physical life, but we may observe people experience a spiritual rebirth.

Pure information

 Have you ever longed for information that was pure and without defilement? This is especially important for our spiritual lives. Following the wrong information can lead to eternal disaster. Jehovah God is the true God and He has promised to provide all those who follow Jesus pure truth. "All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said, 'He will take what is mine and declare it to you.'" – Jn. 16:15 (ISV). God has given us His Holy Spirit for an indwelling partner. He will guide us into all truth from Jesus. One person has well stated, “God does not just want to convey information, but he is sharing himself in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit so that truth is much more than something we believe; it is something we live out of the very fabric of our relationship to God through the Holy Spirit.” Christians need to allow the Holy Spirit to direct them along their unique independent spiritual journey toward eternity.