So the Holy Spirit pressed upon me last night to write the idea for this post down before I forgot it. I seriously couldn't go to sleep until I jotted some general notes in my moleskine, and then I was out like a light. Also, this is only the first draft of this. There are so many areas in which I want to unpack within the relationship of God and Language. I am doing some research and prayer about this, so please give me some feedback if you have any suggestions or other sources I can go and read about the linguistic aspects of God our Father. Here Goes.....
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. -John 1:1-4
I can't count how many times that the Holy Spirit has spoken directly into my life, and my response is basically, "Oh, wow isn't that NEATO!" and leave it at that. I continually don't really recognize the reality that God the Creator and King of the universe just spoke to me. These things should be given much more attention that 'neato'.
God speaks! I LOVE this. God gave us the Bible which 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us is 'God-breathed'. His word is truth. In Genesis 1, God speaks THE ENTIRE WORLD into existence. God is alive and very active. In the next chapter of Genesis, we get a glimpse of a 'hands-on' God that forms everything. Our God is obnoxiously personal.
In the Old Testament, God the Father speaks to the prophet all the time. Then He sends God the Son (Jesus) down to earth , and Jesus spoke truth to a generation of people who eventually murder him. Following the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, He sends our church fathers God the Holy Spirit that also dwells in all of those who profess faith in Him today. The Holy Spirit continually speaks into our lives through convictions, consciouses, visions, and a myriad of other miraculous ways. Our incomprehensibly complex Triune God in every one of his natures and persons speaks to us and pursues us often.
I used to be really confused by the phrase, "freed us for joyful obedience" Obedience was opposite of joyfulness in my experience, being obedient at school or obedient to my parents, or boss or choir director. It ALWAYS sucked because it involved me doing things that I didn't want to do and not doing the things I wanted to do. However, recently this concept of 'joyful obedience' makes some much sense to me in light of meditating and praying about the sovereignty of God and his loving pursuit of me that culminated with the Cross of Jesus Christ. Romans 2:4 implies that God's kindness (which is best seen through the sacrifice of his Son) was meant to lead to repentance. I now find that the Holy Spirit has given me an earnest desire to obey and glorify God because he gave so much for me and to me. I am a blood-bought, adopted son of the Most High King.
My prayer is that you would not ignore the Holy Spirit when He moves or speaks into your life. Trust in Him.
-Amen-
I totally felt convicted by this post, in an odd way. When you're talking about the "neato!" feeling...It's like, instead of being awed and amazed by these instances, now I have started being surprised or even affronted when they DON'T happen. Like when God doesn't speak into a situation I expect, or doesn't encourage me when I thought I needed it. But maybe I should be feeling at least a "neato!"....gratitude for the amazing things that God has done and continues to do for us.
ReplyDelete-rachel from TB, procrastinating my food handler card online course