Different and Precious

Fingerprints and retinal scans illustrate that every person alive is slightly different physically. Each person has slightly different personalities, interests, abilities, and desires, this makes us all distinctive. When these physical differences are paired with different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, each person becomes truly unique. But Jesus loves these unique people, and so should His people, whether or not they are believers. “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” – Jn. 16:8-11 (ESV). When we consider this conundrum, accepting people does not mean we agree with them, but we acknowledge their ability to believe whatever they want. Likely, for any other person who is alive or has lived, there are topics with which we fully agree and others with which we completely disagree; this is what makes us unique. The Holy Spirit will guide us to accept these unique people, if we will allow Him to do so. Because we do not believe a certain thing now does not mean we may never believe something similar or identical in the future. All Christians are walking on a unique individual spiritual journey led by the Holy Spirit. We need to remember other people may be at a different place on their own journey. Each person will probably have different hills, valleys, twists and turns on this journey to help address their unique weaknesses and achieve full sanctification. When we recognize this, we become open to accepting the person’s present situation and accepting help from them and sharing help with others as needed. When we accept ourselves and others as they are and attempt to help one another, Satan’s attacks are thwarted.

Tough times

Most Christians will encounter one or more times when they feel overwhelmed to some degree by the life circumstances they encounter. A life dedicated to Christ does not remove one from the struggles accompanying human life, but it does provide an alternative method to overcoming these times. Perhaps an accident ends a fervent dream and enjoyable activity, or incessant pain robs us of what little energy we can muster, then maybe a loved one is taken from us. We might think, “how can I bear any more, please make this stop.” These are times the Christian can closely relate to Paul’s description of the creation groaning due to disorder and chaos. We must realize we have a partner in suffering. Our troubles may not go away, but we should realize our experiences are part of a larger struggle against Satan. All these experiences are part of our unique individual spiritual journey. However, each is a struggle shared with the indwelling Holy Spirit. The one suffering never must consider that are never alone in their struggles because the Holy Spirit is always close by. Not only this, but also our struggles can be an encouragement to other people as well and a statement to satanic powers which would like to discourage us that we depend on God and we await an inherited residence with God, void of pain and struggles.
What should Christians do when they encounter- one of these tough situations? As a Christian, one should realize they are never experiencing these circumstances alone. After His baptism, Jesus was never alone. If one needs to vent, complain, shout, or cry, the indwelling Holy Spirit understands and will provide calming if the person will focus on Him. Jesus was hurt due to rejection and lamented over the struggles He found I Jerusalem, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” – Matt. 23:37-39, (ESV) cf. also Lk. 13:31-35; then about the impending future,  “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” – Lk. 19:42-44 (ESV) He also wept when Lazarus died, {Jn. 11:35}. As one begins to read, listen to, or contemplate scripture, this action shifts their focus away from the troubling issue and replaces the emotion with focus on God.

Health

A prominent discussion in our society is eating, both for health and weight management. For a balanced life, we need to pay as much attention to the words we speak as the food we eat. The words we speak reflect the spiritual food we have consumed. The words we speak communicate our beliefs, feelings, and attitudes. Jesus said "Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man...what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. {Matt. 15:11, 18} (NIV) We must carefully guard what we say, because it can be so easily misinterpreted. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” - Eph. 4:29 (NIV)

Discerning

There is a real difference between listening, hearing, and understanding. While the Jews referenced below struggled, people with the indwelling Holy Spirit, find hearing and understanding an easier task. Christians should learn from history. The Roman church was uprooted when all Jews were expelled from Rome about AD49 by Emperor Claudius. The Jews went probably throughout the world, cf. Rom. At this, the church became completely Gentile. After about 5 years, Nero began to rule and the Jews were allowed to return. The Jewish Christians returned to a completely different environment. There was great tension to understand how these believers were to become integrated again. Now. there were Jews who did not believe in Christ, Jews who did believer, and Gentiles who were viewed as unclean by most Jews. These groups started arguing with each other, Paul interrupted: Being in disagreement with one another, they were dismissed after Paul had said one message, “The Holy Spirit accurately spoke to our fathers through Isaiah the prophet,  ‘Go to this people and say: You shall certainly hear, but never understand; and you shall certainly see, but never perceive; for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them." Acts 28:25-27 (Modern English Version). This is the context for the letter to the Romans. Unbelievers, believers, and Gentiles attempting to follow their beliefs. Today, we can view a similar conundrum around us. Believers need to hold on to that conviction and follow their unique individual spiritual journey as the Holy Spirit leads them. We need to discern what is good and honorable. We need to reach out to others as best we can, but we must realize, the decision to follow Jesus is ultimately their own.

Changed

There are times when we forget or don’t understand the seriousness of sin. The consequence of sin is separation from God. Like physical death which is a separation of life forces from the body, spiritual death is separation of spiritual life forces (God) from the person. The way to remove sin and reestablish a spiritual life force in humans requires a blood sacrifice from a perfect human. Because of their choices, humans can never offer a perfect blood sacrifice. But, when Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life, He was able to offer the required perfect blood sacrifice as payment for sins committed. When Jesus died, he assumed ALL the sins of the world and offered payment for them.  When Jesus was raised from death, this meant God was satisfied with the blood sacrifice as payment for sins and restored life. He will do the same for all those who will allow themselves to become attached  to the one sacrificed. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” - 2 Cor. 5:21 (ESV). Once sins are eviscerated, the element that separated us from God is removed and we are able to allow the resident Holy Spirit to guide us toward living lives God wants for His people. We begin a unique individual spiritual journey of sanctification until we die or Jesus returns.

Advocate

Some of the guidance provided by Jesus to honor the Father seems foreign and difficult for us to understand and do. God calls (invites) believers to do things that He has designed to help ourselves and others along our unique independent spiritual journey. Those of us who reach out to the Holy Spirit will find more than adequate spiritual help, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," Eph. 2:10 (NLT). We must admit WE don't know the best ways to reach out to others but depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us; He will lead us to do the proper things (good works or actions). "If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth." Jn. 14:15-17a (NLT)

Overlook

When believers read the scriptures, we sometimes remember the statement, “Every writing which is written by The Spirit is profitable for teaching, for correction, for direction and for a course in righteousness,” – 2 Timothy 3:16 (Aramaic Bible in English). Yes, the Holy Spirit led men to record these thoughts in scripture, but we may have become insensitive to an issue that confuses our understanding of the message. Many times, some try to systematize all the teachings seeking complete harmony, struggling with, or ignoring the various nuances. The truths remain, but they can sometimes be stated in slightly different ways. Essentially, we forget that the letters were written to different groups of people in slightly different cultures with various and perhaps different struggles. The specific instructions in the letters remain invariable, but there are some different nuances based on the precise struggle of individual groups of people to whom many of the letters were written. Not only were the Jew and Gentile daily life activities somewhat intermixed, but also the local culture had bearing on the difficulties people faced at that time; not all groups of new Christians had the same struggles. Moreover, when we read the scriptures, we tend to compress the timeframe so that our perception becomes skewed. Jesus’ ministry lasted about three years, while the twelve and Paul’s over twenty. If we think about the time required for some of the described events in Jesus’ and the apostle’s ministries to occur, we find some were separated by months or even years. Our present culture is more focused on rapid action and response than that of the first century. This realization should guide us toward caution for comparing time to achieve desired life changes in ourselves - they might not always materializing quickly. As we traverse our unique individual spiritual journey, we must realize events and changes will probably not appear quickly, but are a gradual shift into another mindset. As we walk in the light as He is in the light, (1 John 1:7), we must recognize our pathways may not mirror those of others. We should extend grace to others while the Holy Spirit guides them on their unique pathway. We should, "Bear with on another," (Eph. 4:2). Since we are following God’s timeframe, the time between episodes of anyone's specific training by the Holy Spirit may not arrive as quickly as we might desire or expect. All of us must negotiate our unique individual journey to sanctification at the rate directed by the Holy Spirit. We need to continually watch for opportunities in which we can serve the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Next opportunity

Sometimes when we get in a stressful spiritual situation and the tension then relaxes, we have a sense of relief. We may even say to ourselves, “I am glad that is finished. I am so thankful the Holy Spirit helped me be brave." This is a welcome relief, but sometimes this may be a calm before another challenge. If we think it was an attack by Satan, we need to be on our guard and continually ask the Holy Spirit for help as we move along our unique individual spiritual journey. Luke reveals his cunning and relentless nature, because Satan will wait for the next moment of weakness from exhaustion or stress to attack again. These are the times we should remember this is exactly what Jesus faced after His temptation, “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” - Luke 4:13 (ESV). This might be a bit unsettling, but we really are in a full-scale war with anti-Christian forces. The deceiver will choose the most opportune time and perhaps other methods for the next attack. Jesus and his disciples overcame encounters with all sorts of demons. However, for Jesus, the leader, the deceiver chose the people who were supposed to be the ones leading people toward God. Instead of welcoming God’s direction, they used one of His disciples to help remove God in flesh. But, in spite of all Satan’s schemes, Jesus was raised from the tomb and lives within each of His followers via the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jude realized this and wrote, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” – Jude 20-21 (ESV). While he can't extract Christians without their consent, his tactics change with the culture and the individual; he continues his ferocious assaults, pulling and pushing us in efforts of distraction. We should remember that the same Holy Spirit who helped Jesus, resides within us, waiting to be asked for help; we should embrace Him in our prayer life every opportunity we have, and ask for His guidance. He will help us as we need along our unique individual spiritual journey, if we ask.

Competition

Competition is almost a law of nature. Struggles for domination are observed as part of the life cycle of living organisms. They compete to survive; they compete for sustenance, they compete for life itself, they compete to reproduce. In order to survive they must overpower other organisms seeking the available sources of nourishment. Plants and animals compete for sunlight and water. Animals compete for the ability to reproduce. Many of Jehovah’s crowning creation find themselves in competition regularly, some is friendly banter and some is brutal aggression. Adam and Eve were told to “subdue creation.” The intention was to work together not in competition with each other. To balance the desire to subdue, YHWH gave this greatest of His creation a desire to consider other organisms of life respectfully. They were not only valuable as His creation, but even more as a builders of the future. Most things are best understood related to the spiritual realm. If the competition is with Satan for the souls of people, the competition is worth the investment; but remember this is a battle already won if the person so chooses, and one should not trade their own salvation trying to win another, this is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Gal. 6:1 (NASV)

Send me

A song we sing as kingdom people from time to time is titled, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” This song can remind us of Isaiah’s vision of the Lord, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” The last sentence should be a powerful motivator to spring us into action. When we accept Jesus, many of us realize the precious gift we have been given and recognize that there are others who also need this gift that brings them closer to God. At some point, we need to accept that we are the instruments used by the Holy Spirit’s to accomplish His plans. We need to make the statement, “Here I am! Send me.” Our activities may not look like those of others, but if we focus on guidance by the Holy Spirit, we will achieve the results He desires.

Different and precious

Fingerprints and retinal scans illustrate that every person alive is slightly different physically. When these physical differences are paired with different backgrounds, interests, and experiences, each person becomes truly unique. We are different and precious! Yes, Christians live life on a unique individual spiritual journey, ever striving to be more like what God wants us to become. Corrected mistakes leave informational and emotional memories. Many times the emotional memory is easier to recall than the raw information. We should not fear making mistakes, but we should attempt to follow the guidance by the Holy Spirit and avoid mistakes that have severe physical and spiritual ramifications. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Thess. 5:23 (ESV). Yes, Christians live in a state of being declared clean, but we remain sinful beings constantly attempting to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus left to help us.

Solace

Someone wrote, "Peace is to be found in the acceptance of things we are unable to change." This is a profound statement, however we are creatures that change constantly and need to be careful how we change. Paul wrote, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better " - Eph. 1:17. If spiritual peace begins to elude our everyday lives, we must better submit to the Holy Spirit's guidance. He will prompt us to follow pathways that honor God.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a topic with which many of us struggle. True thanksgiving is displayed that we recognize someone or something has greater value or worth than ourselves. We are surrounded by many people who display a view of great self-worth. When we say, “Thank you,” we elevate the other person above ourselves. We each seek to be accepted by others because of our words or actions. When we elevate God above ourselves, it becomes easier to say, “Thank you,” to God through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who lives within His people. Christians need to be humble toward God, and vigilant toward other people. The great apostle Paul humbled himself before others (2Cor. 11:7-12). Christians need to display an attitude of gratitude towards the Holy Spirit who guides them toward God’s desires, continually. We only need to ask for His help. Psalm 50 encourages all hearers about thanksgiving, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving; And pay thy vows unto the Most High; And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. – Psa. 50:12-15 (ASV).

Fire

There are places in the United States that periodically experience wildfires. When the fuel and conditions are suitable, a wildfire can consume many thousands acres of grass and forest land quickly, not to mention homes and business structures. The area in the aftermath of a wildfire is forever changed. Residents are a different challenge; they are driven by motivation. When people are advised to evacuate to save their lives, even past history of those around them may not be sufficient to motivate them to flee and save their lives. Such consuming fires are dangerous and can easily overpower individuals as can evil events when the conditions are appropriate. However, there is an even greater power available to guide people along their unique individual spiritual journey. A goal that should be common to all Christians is to use our lives and our words to lead others to Jesus; however, motivation must exist. The first element in this goal is encourage people so they realize they have a need greater than themselves. When a person arrives at this point, the Holy Spirit can influence them to realize their need and motivate them to seek Jesus' gift of salvation. This goal should be followed as much as opportunities present themselves - at times, this can spread like wildfire, energized by the Holy Spirit. Concerning the early Christians, Paul told Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." - 2 Tim. 1:6-7 (NIV). There are times when the Holy Spirit wants to use our position and our talents to minister to others. Since the Holy Spirit personally resides within Christians, they can be empowered by Him when they are open to acting on His guidance, as best they can. If we will allow Him, the Holy Spirit will lead, guide, enable, and bless us along our journey. With His help, each Christian should not be timid. The Spirit's influence is clearly seen in the release of spiritual power: the practice of loving fellowship and care, and the self-disciplined discipleship of Jesus' followers. Christians should not be timid, rather they should be bold in those areas in which the Holy Spirit motivates us.