Dedicated

When one has a great interest in something, normally we might say they are focused on that item. This focus may turn into infatuation or deeper interest. Such attitudes can wane at times, replaced by other interests. When the attention and focus does not wane, the persons may develop a strong attachment and commitment to the item; this can then become dedication. When one becomes dedicated, many personal preferences lose some of their importance, making way for closer bonding to that item. Oh, another word describing this "dedication" is "holy." When the item is God we can grow closer to Him by allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us toward that end. "Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. - 1 Thess. 5:23 NLT

Choices

Many of us can remember a time when we were faced with a decision that was especially tough. This was a time when fear of the unknown perhaps almost debilitated us. In preparation, we explored the pertinent options available, but perhaps most possibilities did not seem attractive or even workable. Maybe we reached out to ask trusted friends for their advice, only to find this group, some religious and some not, provided no clear solution; even conflicting opinions arose. After all our efforts, we were still faced with making the decision and we anticipated several consequences that could be huge and the worst ones arose in our minds, first. Our concerns contained, “What was right to do?” “Would the final choice help some people?” “Would the final choice hurt some people?”  “Would the final choice alienate us from some people whom we desired approval?” In the end, there was only one reasonable pathway to the solution: ask the Holy Spirit to help with the choices, then search God’s word for any guidance available. During such struggles, while you pray intently for all parts of the issue, you must keep an open mind for any possible solutions. Finally, the decision is yours to make, along with the repercussions of the choice and its delivery. Do you listen to some of your friends with conflicting opinions or do you trust how the Holy Spirit has guided you to an acceptable decision that honors God? When you have prayed and kept an open mind, make the best decision this pathway has provided. Once done, trust the Holy Spirit to work out unseen details and ease your fears. Always continue to pray and determine if you should make adjustments to your decision. If you ask the Holy Spirit for help and move forward following godly principles, in the end the result will be acceptable to God. As His servants, what else could we desire but to please Him?

Grace

The story of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) is a story with which many people have become familiar. Surely, it is a comparison between those who purposely passed by and the one who stopped to help. At its core, this is a story about God’s grace, how God came to help those who the religious establishment would not. The Hebrew word for “grace” is CHEN. It means “to bend, to stoop.” Over time it came to include the concept of “condescending favor.” In the parable of the Good Samaritan a man is attacked and left “half dead” on the side of the road. Perhaps due to busy schedules or desire to avoid becoming unclean by touching a dead body, both a priest and a Levite, ignored this opportunity to help another person. Samaritans were not liked by many Jews since they had not retained a pure blood line; they had intermarried with Gentiles. So, this man with an imperfect bloodline was a better neighbor to the injured man than those who claimed they were more perfect. The Samaritan bent over and helped someone who was injured and dying. Jesus uses this as an example of Himself. He was far more important than either the priest or Levite, but He stopped, and personally touched and treated this injured person. Not only this, but long-term concern was shown with the promise to check on the man later on. Each of us are broken and perhaps half-dead because of how life has treated us, but God has grace for us and is not afraid to reach out and touch us. He is also concerned about us until we are healed. We should also provide similar grace to others as illustrated here. To show grace to others is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn't deserve it and can never earn it. Receiving God's acceptance by grace always stands in direct contrast to earning it. When the thought of grace appears in scripture, the idea presented is its being undeserved. The recipient is not getting what he or she deserves. Favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver.

Inner Being

What is your inner being except your heart. This "heart' is a short way to describe the reasons and motivations for all we think and do. When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and actions, we are strengthened and encouraged to do the things Jesus would have us do. Additionally, people will somehow receive needed benefit and God will be praised. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ..." — Eph. 3:16 (NIV)

Hear

Some passages of scripture team with references a person from the original culture would immediately understand. In the passage today, there are several: First, around this time, a locked door indicated some level of protection from what was without, and opening the door meant trust of the person who is to come inside. More than this, when one invited a person into his home, the home owner was expected to do all in their power to give them aid and even protection. A meal was understood to indicate a level of acceptance and close fellowship. The final word is "hear." This word meant more than absorbing the sound that is made, it meant understanding what was said, even accepting the instruction. One can listen to words and not understand their meaning, or understanding and rejecting its importance. This describes a sincere invitation to those people who are able to understand the significance of having a very close relationship with God via the Holy Spirit. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Rev 3:20-22 (ESV)

Control

In these days of packed and over-committed schedules, most of us enjoy choosing our own solutions to meet those goals. Likely, immaculate planning allows us to feel in control of our own approach to these hectic schedules; perhaps we grow frustrated when things don't go according to our plans. The challenge is to give up control over something. These practices bleed over into our spiritual lives as well. Those in the Roman Jewish and Christian religious circles also struggled with this. Paul referred to Isa. 40:13 and reminded the Roman believers in God about refusal of God’s plans, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Rom. 11:33-36 (ESV)
With all our focus on the physical world, if we desire to follow God, how does our own planning work? We must realize spiritual goals can only be accomplished by submission to Jesus. If we truly comprehend our commitment to God through Jesus, He must receive ultimate priority in directing our walk with Him. For this to happen, we must become willing to set aside our personal plans and follow His actions and His timeframe. When we ask God or the Holy Spirit for help in our prayers, do we ask God to follow our own plans and schedules? We cling to these plans and requests because they are our own and we think we understand them, limited though they may be. Without realizing it, we may be asking that God follow the schedule we've constructed according to our desires and very limited human wisdom. Yet if we believe He has all knowledge and He is the most powerful being, how can surrendering our control to His schedule be anything except beneficial for us? Accepting Jesus required faith and commitment; when we submit to God's timetable, we must also exercise faith and courage. This courage will come from realizing that He wants all that is best for us. Although strenuous at times, we must wait until the Spirit leads us to move forward. When the timing is according to His schedule, we will experience a joy by watching Him provide all we need, in His timing.

Living by the Spirit

Living by the Spirit is a difficult exercise sometimes. Frequently, this desire requires actions that may seem new, unexpected, and difficult to visualize the path or end result. Yet, if we live our lives intending and attempting actions modeled by that Jesus, the result will work out in a way that praises God. These actions we take will reflect our progress along our unique individual spiritual journey toward heaven. "But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us." - Gal. 5:5 NLT