BIBLE PASSAGE:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:25)
MEDITATION:
Remember when you were a little child and you went somewhere
with one of your parents? You may have gone shopping with your
mother, or walking through the woods with your dad. At any rate,
your legs were much shorter than theirs and at times you had to
yell,
“Mom (or dad), wait on me, I can’t keep up!”
Later as you were older, you may have been running with some
of your friends but they were faster and you just couldn’t keep
up. Or maybe you were riding your bike with friends and when
they started going faster, you began to lag behind.
On the other hand, you may have been faster than your friends,
and some of them were asking you to slow down so they could
keep up. Life can be like that, can’t it? Some are slower than
others and struggle to keep up in certain areas.
It’s interesting how things can change when a group of people
are ‘in step’ with each other. If you were in the military (or in
R.O.T.C. in college), you had an opportunity to see what it’s
like when everyone is moving at the same pace. You learned
how to march to a cadence count that was designed to keep
everyone moving at the same rate of speed.
There was a sense of unity between you and the rest of your platoon.
You started to sense a feeling of strength and power as the right foot
of everyone in the group hit the ground at the same time. All of you
and your comrades were ‘in step’ with each other, and it gave you a
collective sense of power.
As believers, we need to ‘keep up’ and ‘stay in step’ with the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was resurrected, He promised that those who chose to follow
Him would receive the Holy Spirit along with their salvation. The Spirit
is meant to be the guiding light in our lives, so it’s important for every
believer to understand the Spirit’s attributes and characteristics (which
are the same as those of Jesus).
None of us want to be guilty of lagging behind, and failing to include
those same identifying traits in our own lives. We should be listening
to His cadence and trying to match the things He desires for us. And
when we do, we will discover we have a new strength and power to
help us resist temptations, and to also serve the Lord using the
spiritual gift He gave us when we received salvation.
The Holy Spirit we have been given by God will be with us as we are
transformed (sanctified) by the Lord. We need to ‘activate’ His presence
in our lives and we do that through prayer….we ‘invite’ Him into our
lives.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him!
(Luke 11:13)
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, will teach you all things and
will remind you of everything I have said to you.
(John 14:26)
Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does
not reject a human being but God, the very God who
gives you His Holy Spirit.
(1 Thessalonians 4:8)
Transformation (sanctification) is an important part of our new
life as a follower of Jesus. Not only does it renew our mind by
replacing unrighteousness with righteousness, but it also serves
as confirmation that we are part of God’s family. If we haven’t
felt the Lord making dramatic changes in our lives, then we may
have questions about our status in His family.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God’s will
is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
(Romans 12:2)
When we are not ‘in step’ with the Spirit, we can feel weak, vulnerable,
and incapable of fulfilling the work God expects of us. However, when
we are ‘in step’ with the Spirit, we won’t have those feelings of defeat
that cause us to resist or retreat from the mission God has given us.
We will instead, march with confidence and purpose toward our goal
of spending eternity with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,
but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
(2 Timothy 1:7)
ACTION:
Questions to ask ourselves:
– Am I ‘keeping up’ with the Holy Spirit?
– Am I ‘in step’ with the Holy Spirit?
– Am I striving to develop the same qualities and
characteristics in my life that I see in Jesus?
– Have I invited the Holy Spirit to be active in my life?
– Do I know the spiritual gift God has given me?
– Have I asked the Lord to reveal to me His spiritual gift?
– Do I know specifically where God has called me to serve Him?
– Am I actively using the spiritual gift I have been blessed with?
– Have I asked the Lord to show me how He wants me to serve?
– Do I feel strong and confident that I can complete what God
wants me to do so I will hear Him say to me one day,
“Well done, good and faithful servant!”
– Have I resisted or retreated from the mission God has given me?
Satan wants us to be ineffective in serving the Lord, so he tries to
convince us that God ‘saves us to sit’. But that’s not what God does
is it? When He saves us, He equips us to participate in His earthly
ministry – we become one of His disciples. We are His witnesses,
which means we are an active part of God’s mission to reach lost souls.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come
to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Help me to realize how important it is for me to be ‘in step’
with Him. Teach me to develop His qualities in my own life.
Show me how to change my attitudes, goals, focus and my
overall character and personality so I can become more like
Jesus. Help me to know the spiritual gift You have given me.
Show me where and how to use Your gift to me in fulfilling
what You have prepared me to do. Give me confidence and
courage to march to the beat of Your drum and to be ‘in step’
with You instead of following my own whims, or the world’s
influence.”
BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
Discussion
No comments yet.