DEVELOPING THE HUMAN SPIRIT
Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.NIV Paul is speaking of the fruit of the recreated spirit. That is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He doesn't bear fruit. We are the fruit-bearing part. We are the branches of the Vine. The recreated human spirit linked up with Christ, grafted into the vine, is the fruit bearer. If we could learn how to walk in love and make it the business of our lives, we would solve many problems of human relationship which we thought were impossible. Jesus lived in love. He lived in the realm of Love. He spoke love. His words were love-filled. His acts and deeds grew out of love. He could not help healing the sick. Love drove Him. He could not help feeding the multitudes; Love compelled Him. If we could have our spirits developed in love like that, we could live like the Master. We could maintain a real, a beautiful fellowship with the Father, with the Word, and with one another. We read John 14:16,17, Jesus said He would send the comforter. This Comforter He calls the "Spirit of truth" or "reality." He is to guide us into all truth or reality. He is to take the things of Jesus and of the Father and unveil them to us. That is what our hearts are craving. He is not going to guide us into Sense Knowledge but into Revelation Knowledge. He is going to take those wonderful truths in the Word of God and make them a reality to us. In order to do this, it will be necessary that we have quiet hours a little while each day set apart for meditation. Under the New Covenant we are to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. We are to abide in the Word, and the Word is to abide in us. This will lead us into the prayer life, into prayer conquests. Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.NIV In nothing are we to allow anxiety to govern us, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make our requests known to the Father. Then we are to leave them there; and the Father declares that His peace will come in like a garrison of soldiers into a turbulent country, and quiet us. In the 8th verse He tells us the things that we are to think about. Read it over carefully. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." We cannot feed on scandal, on nonsense, on stories that are unseemly, and expect to develop in grace. The Spirit will not help us do that. There must be times when we can sit quiet with the Lord and the Word and meditate upon it until the Word absorbs us and we absorb the Word, until the Word is being built into our mental processes as well as into our spirit lives, until it absolutely governs our thinking. Do you see what that implies? The renewing of our minds is absolutely necessary. Rom 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer 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. NIV How is that transformation going to take place? By the renewing of our minds. How does that come? By meditation in the Word. By practicing the Word, letting the Word rule us. Col 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. NIV Our minds are renewed after the image of Him that created us. That means that the Jesus’ image is going to be reproduced in us until after a while it will be no more we that live, but Christ living in us. Gal. 4:19: "Until Christ be formed in you." The Word never becomes a part of our lives until we act it. It is living this Word, having it live in us in our daily life, that counts. Share your heart life with Him until you exclaim, "It is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me." Share with Him until the Vine Life becomes consciously your life. Eph. 3:19: "And to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God." God's fullness takes us over, dominates us. His fullness of Love, His fullness of Grace, His fullness of Wisdom, Healing and Ability have displaced all the weaknesses and failures that exist in our lives. Jesus has come on the scene to take over the business. He does it according to the ability-His Ability-that is at work within us. We must learn to become God-inside minded, to cultivate a consciousness of His indwelling presence-the presence of the Living One in us. 1 John 4:4: "You are of God, my little children." That is our source. That is our genealogy. That is our comfort and faith builder. Israel had long pages of genealogy dating back to Abraham, but our chronology is brief: "We are of God." "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." The God inside is greater than any difficulty or problem outside. We have been fortified within. Here is the source of real strength. It can become a reality to us if we meditate upon it. "All things are possible to him that believes" becomes a thrilling reality. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorPastor Dave White is Senior Pastor of WOLCC, founded in April of 1995. Archives
November 2015
Categories |