The Real Thing


Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 
 (Galatians 5:24-25 NASB)
 
     As I stopped to rest and refuel this weekend (after a work all-nighter Friday - !), I am just overcome with joy at my salvation and voraciously desirous of the filling of the Holy Spirit.  I am thinking of those for whom God’s Spirit rushed upon and they accomplished great things:
•    Samson: Judges 14:6, 14:19, 15:14,
•    Saul: 1 Samuel 10:6, 10, 11:6, 16:13, 18:10
These examples are troublesome for me, as these men experienced incredible moments of the Spirit's filling, but not necessarily a lifetime characterized by the Spirit's work.

I want not simply moments of those things, but a lifetime of those things.  This desire is borne both out of the sheer joy of His filling and the fear of ‘going rogue’ and seeking to run my own thoughts and life.

What other examples do we see in sacred Scripture?
•    Exodus 28:3, 31:3, 35:31 – craftsmen performing skillful work
•    Deuteronomy 34:9, Isaiah 11:2, Daniel 5:11, 14, Acts 6:3, 10 – powerful leaders
•    1 Corinthians 2:4, 13, 12:8 – powerful words
•    Ephesians 1:17 – an internal spirit of wisdom

     For those of us who are believers (1 Corinthians 3:16), I believe it is not as much a matter of overt events, but of a life that consistently pleases God and blesses others.  As I look at Ephesians 1:8 and reflect on the meaning of 'wisdom', I see that the wisdom imparted to us by God has a singular source and a singular goal: the glory of God.  May my words and works be so directed!

     One of the great modern examples we have of this is marriage.  Betty and I attended a Christ-centered wedding this past weekend, and it occurred to me that, once you see the real thing, substitutes seem incredibly disconnected and conflicted.  Michael Card's 'The Wedding' is one of my favorites:



May God fill us - and our marriages - in such a way.

     In reflecting upon all that God has done in salvation in Ephesians, I am reflecting on  how the inward work of God flows outward in my mind, thoughts, work, and life.  May my life be Gospel-directed!


In His Grip,


Mark

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