Holy Spirit Fire

Jeremiah 20:9 - "But if I say, 'I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,' then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it."

Once God puts His hand on a man or woman, it is impossible to successfully run from God. Jeremiah understood this and most assuredly Jonah knew it was futile to forsake God's calling. The Holy Spirit will certainly be that "Hound of Heaven" who will not compromise His position within all who are chosen by the Lord.

Even during my backslidden years, I often felt a fiery burning within my chest, full of sorrow and remorse. I knew then as now that it was the Holy Spirit grieved within me, desiring my reconciliation with God.

God's burning will always manifest itself as holiness and uncompromising devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are experiencing God's burning within ... Rejoice! For some of us it may mean a need to repent and turn back to God. For others, it may mean God is about to take us to a higher place of intercession for others.

A Simple Salvation

Psalm 116:6 - "The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me."

How low can we go? How simple can we become? The mighty paradox of the Kingdom of God is the weak are made strong by His grace. As Paul states, not many of us who are wise by the world's standards have found the wisdom of God in salvation (I Corinthians 1:26-27).

While God's redemption is utterly simple in that we must embrace the seeming foolishness of the cross, it is often not easy (I Corinthians 1:18). We all have this mental beast on our shoulders that wants to be king instead of allowing God His proper place in our lives. When we finally do experience the simplicity of the Gospel, then we can say with the psalmist: "Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." (Psalm 116:7)

God Amongst Us

Exodus 25:8 - "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them."

God has never been in the business of building places for His presence. Just as the Hebrews were instructed to construct God's dwelling place according to His desire, so we too must continue to prepare that place for His glory to rest within us. Those of us who know Christ will always be justified and cleansed by Christ's blood. That is Jesus' completed work in us. However, it is our responsibility to manifest Christ's presence within us through sanctification.

Just as the Israelites were obedient to the smallest detail of the construction of God's dwelling place, so must we be concerned with obeying God in all things. As we do and we no longer quench the Holy Spirit within, He will rise up and take possession of our entire life for His glory sake.

Our Lives in Perspective

Psalm 39:4 - “LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am."

Youth creates an illusion regarding our respective mortality. As we grow older, we understand more fully how we are but a mere breath and significant only in how we treat others, especially God.

Wisdom is our greatest asset which leads us to choose how we should live towards God and man.
Throughout God's word we are reminded how the fear of the Lord is the way we obtain this great treasure. When one truly understands they are merely passing through this life as a vapor, then eternity--and the things we do in view of it--become paramount and the only thing which really matter.

Giving Our Children a Hand

Jeremiah 47:3 - “Because of the noise of the galloping hoofs of his stallions, the tumult of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers have not turned back for their children, because of the limpness of their hands."

Fear can be paralyzing. However, it is unconscionable for fathers to allow the world to consume our children while we are afraid to stand up to those who would seek their lives. For too long, the church has sat idly by and allowed our offspring the misfortune of "finding themselves." This has only resulted in more hedonistic narcissism. Many of us who failed to raise our children and grandchildren on God's word have seen the result -- children given over to the enemy because of the "limpness of our hands."

However, as long as we draw breath, there is time to lift up the banner of Jesus and let the younger generation know whom we have believed. We must speak up, act up, and show up for Christ's sake. This witness will strengthen our hands and bring light to an increasingly dark world for our children’s sake.

Delighting in God's Word

Jeremiah 15:16 - "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts."

We have all known picky eaters. Maybe we are one. Proverbs 27:7 tells us "A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet." When hunger is the driving force, it doesn't matter how something tastes. The only concern is to quell the hunger pains.

Are we famished for God's word? Are we daily in the Holy Bible, digging out its treasures? The only way to get hungry for God's word is by getting into it. Then, we will long for it when we miss a day. The Word of God is not a drudgery, beloved. It is "a joy and the delight" of our hearts if we will but discipline ourselves to seek God there daily.

Embracing the Cross

I Corinthians 1:18 - "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

The weakness of Jesus' message is absurd to most. Many liberal scholars have sought to explain Christ's death as a miscalculation and a mistake. They claim He did not fulfill His ministry but died in weakness so therefore His original intent was aborted.

However, those of us who have been ordained for eternal life understand that only through His perfect sacrifice is there perfect redemption. Humanity is crippled by sin and there is no way to stand before God but by clinging to the cross. All those who seek to prop their lives up by their own attempts will not have a leg to stand on when they appear before God on that final day.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

And exchange it someday for a crown.