Through Jesus' Love

Our natural tendency when we see a person in trouble is to try to rescue them.  If what we are rescuing them from is themselves, we are doing them a great disservice if we become their rescuer.  We must let Jesus rescue them.  He must be their Savior, not us.  

The troubled soul needs to find his/her comfort in the only place that will truly heal them.  Our job is to simply show them Jesus’ power in our lives, so that they can reach out to Him on their own.

The Spirit of God within us is a gift that cannot be turned away.  Once in us, the Spirit is our new life.  Our old life in the flesh is dead.  The flesh may try to rule once again, but it’s power is very short lived.  The Holy Spirit within us simply will not allow the flesh to rule.  

If we try to lean toward a life in the flesh, the Holy Spirit will overwhelm us with a sense of guilt and failure until we die unto ourselves.  We see the evidence of giving up our carnal lives when we immediately confess our sins and stand bared before Jesus, knowing that He will wash us clean with His Blood.

It is highly unlikely that any of us will have a “burning bush” experience like Moses.  For most of us, it is just as unlikely that we will be prompted by something as dramatic as God’s audible voice.  In all likelihood, when we are called by God, we will only experience a gentle urging in our hearts.

It is our responsibility to learn to recognize and be moved by the gentle urgings that God places on our hearts.  God can work great wonders through our obedience to the simplest suggestions of His Spirit within us.

As Christians, our faith is no longer our own.  Our faith is now the faith of the Son for the Father.  Whatever faith we had before Jesus indwelled us was a faith that would die at some point.  It had no possibility of surviving for it was burdened by the death sentence associated with all sin.  Our old faith died on the Cross.  

Our old faith was replaced eternally by the faith of the Son of God.  Through the Holy Spirit, our new faith imparts the holiness of Jesus Christ into our lives.

As children we go to our fathers often to gain their provision or their guidance.  Over time, we know our fathers’ answers before we even ask the questions because we have come to know our fathers so intimately.

So it is with Our Heavenly Father.  We know His will for our lives because we have framed it through uncounted visits to His Throne.  This intimacy, only be gained through the gift of grace, enhances our understanding of God Himself.  This intimacy grows and matures with every prayer we offer to Our Father.

When we are being led by the Holy Spirit, all of the movement in our lives will be toward the Lord and away from the trappings of our former carnal lives.  It is likely that the changes in our lives will be offensive to some who will feel that our new lives are a rejection of theirs.  This should be expected because the unbeliever does not and cannot understand the way of the Cross.

At times, we will not even understand where the Lord is leading us.  What separates us from the unbeliever is faith.  We love the one who is leading us and we have faith in Him as He leads us.  We move forward in our lives with a renewed mind that is centered on our personal relationship with our Good Shepherd.

When we accept Jesus into our lives, we will find that we are in bondage to many things that are not pleasing to God.  We will also discover that there are many other things in our lives that we were unaware of that are not perfectly pleasing to Our Lord.  These hidden things will be revealed to us over time as we mature in Christ.

As we accept Our Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to work with us immediately.  If we are receptive to His urgings, we will begin to repent of each and every thing that is not perfectly pleasing to Our Lord.  We will not be mature enough in Christ to recognize and repent of all things that require us to humble ourselves before Almighty God.  We will shed our flesh driven bonds one at a time as the Holy Spirit convicts us and as Jesus perfects His strength in our weakness.

There is overpowering sin waiting in every effort we make, if we are not working in accordance with the Lord’s will for our lives.  We must go into communion with Him and discover His plans for our lives.  To work outside the Lord’s will, no matter how noble or productive by the world’s standards, will have us fall short of the favor of the God.  We have to look no further than all the fallen religious leaders that we read about in the news to see how working outside of God’s will can lead to ruin. 

Each day we should go before the Lord and ask Him to help us to do our daily tasks in accordance with His plan and will for our lives.  Whether our tasks are magnificent or menial, they should be measured by one standard.  Are they in line with the will of God?  

The laws of man invariably turn toward tolerance for things that are not pleasing to God.  These new laws are used by all men to pressure one another to accept the behavior that is not pleasing to God as the truth.  

Let no one turn away from pleasing God.  Every little piece that is withheld from God or that is displeasing to God will find a home amongst evil.  That piece which is cloaked in evil will never stand still.  It will work to devour the good that is left in the man.

There will be seasons in our lives when doubt about God’s place in our lives will be questioned.  There will seem to be a gulf between what God promises and what is being experienced.  This period of void can be very frustrating and difficult to endure.  

God, however, is ready to reward the obedient child for standing firm in faith when the trials are overwhelming.  Rejoice in the trials.  Victory is at hand.