2023-07-07
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The concept of life through the Spirit may be intangible but it isn’t impossible for us to understand. We can look to the first several verses of Romans to see what it means. RO 8: 2-6, “Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who did not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on wat the flesh desires; but those who live according to the Spirit have minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Unable to please God, those who live according to the flesh are hostile to Him. If the Spirit dwells within a person and that person has yielded up control of his life to the Spirit, he belongs to God.
The Spirit-led person makes righteous choices and seeks the peace that comes from living them out. They are the children of God. They are no longer prisoners of sin and death. The righteous share in Christ’s suffering, in order that they can share in His glory. GA 5: 16-18, “So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Another picture of peace is lessons learned from life’s storms. During the time that Jesus was training His disciples, they were out in a boat on when a storm whipped up, depicted in MT 14: 22-36. The boat was a considerable distance from land as Jesus had gone off alone to pray. The disciples were beginning to be afraid as the wind speed increased and it was after dark. Just before dawn, Jesus began walking toward the boat on the lake water. The disciples grew frightened, thinking a ghostly figure was approaching the boat. Jesus told them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Peter impetuously spoke up, saying, “If it is You, then let me walk toward You.” Jesus said, “Come!” Peter climbed out of the boat and with his eyes on the Lord, began walking toward Him. But when he felt the wind, he took his eyes off the Lord and began to sink. He called out to Jesus to save him. Jesus caught him, saying, “You of little faith; why did you doubt?” When they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Those in the boat worshipped Him and said, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” When they had crossed the lake, they came to Gennesaret, where Jesus was recognized and sent word to the surrounding country. People brought the sick to Him.
Another such occasion happened when Jesus and the disciples were once again on a boat and set out, covered in LK 8: 22-25. The Lord was asleep when the wind whipped up again. The disciples grew scared and called out, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” The storm was raging by the time Jesus awakened, and He got up and rebuked the wind. “Where is your faith,” Jesus asked. The raging waves abated, and the disciples asked, “Who is this Man that the storm obeys Him?”
My own experience is that we can learn from the storms of our personal lives. I’ve always said that God creates and forges special friendships in my life. I have a friend, Norma, whom I met in undergraduate school and who also went to graduate school with me. We’ve been close for over 60 years and speak with each other once a week on the phone. As time went on, Norma became her husband’s primary caregiver in a very sacrificial situation. She took care of him for 14 years, having gotten physically injured during that time by trying to break his falls. She had to have surgery on both her wrists. Things got worse and worse, and my calls were designed to give her a chance to get her trials off her chest. I benefited in this relationship by being given the chance to serve Norma’s emotional needs, and she provided me with a very special companionship. We share our mutual faith in Jesus Christ with each other, as well. For the first time in over half our relationship, we are going to visit face to face with each other. What a blessing!
PRAYER: O Lord, RO 8: 38-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from your love. What comforting news this is! We all have our trials, the loss of loved ones, illnesses, scary surgeries, pain, circumstances that put us in danger, being treated badly by people who are enemies, annoyances like a fire drill which malfunctions, political misbehavior, war, temptation, and the like. You give us Your perspective on these things, in 1 COR 10: 13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide you with a way out so that you can endure it.” We thank and praise You for the love you show us, by blessing us in so many ways every day. We utter these notions in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue writing on our list of pictures of peace beginning with patience as we await glorification. I’m determined to honor the Lord Jesus by making Him the Leader and an integral part of my life. Each person who shares my intent finds his own way to make the Lord a full-time Resident of his home. I have been extraordinarily blessed by dedicating my life to His service and that of others around me. I call it my vertical relationships with God and my horizontal relationships with other human beings. The Lord has called me to His service and equipped me with the skill set I need to carry out tasks for Him. Without Christ in my life, I was miserable and ineffective as a person. With Him, my life has purpose, direction, and peace in it. He gives me self-esteem, something I didn’t have growing up. EPH 2: 10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God has already prepared in advance for us to do.” God grows us gradually in our spiritual maturity. HE 5: 13-14, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still and infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” We are blessed by the Lord’s intervention in our lives. Heartfelt thanks and praise be to Him!
Grace be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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