For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. – Romans 8:5 (NRSV)
What does it mean to set your mind on things of the Spirit? What about setting your mind on things of the flesh? Does it have anything to do with doing good? Does it have anything to do with living well?
The following story was e-mailed to me:
An ancient Indian sage was teaching his disciples the art of archery. He put a wooden bird as the target and asked them to aim at the eye of the bird. The first disciple was asked to describe what he saw. He said, “I see the trees, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the bird and its eye.”
The sage asked this disciple to wait. Then he asked the second disciple the same question and he replied, “I only see the eye of the bird.” The sage said, “Very good, then shoot.” The arrow went straight and hit the eye of the bird.
Unless we focus, we cannot achieve our goal. It is hard to focus and concentrate, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Our goal is to focus on God so we can live according to the Spirit! In life there is so much that goes on that demands our attention, and often God is rarely focused on. So how do we do it? Some say the best way is to give thanks for every little thing that we can think of. That’s probably a good way to start. As we give thanks our attention is always turned again to God. “God thanks for this running water I use to brush my teeth.” “God thank you that I can taste the sweetness of that fruit.” “God thank you for…” There are millions of reasons to give thanks each day. When we do we begin to look at God, until one day, God is all we see.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Receiving the Holy Spirit
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” – John 20:21-22 (NRSV)
What type of peace is Jesus offering? What does it mean to be sent out by Jesus? How important is it to you that Jesus sends you out? Do you experience the Holy Spirit as you go out? If so, how have you experienced the Holy Spirit?
On June 11, 1988 a concert called “Freedom Festival” was held in London. Musicians throughout the world came together to hold a concert in honor of Nelson Mandela on his 70th birthday and to make a stand against apartheid in South Africa. The concert began with Sting working the crowd into a frenzy. Then musician after musician took the stage to sing while speeches were given in between sets. Over 72,000 people were loving each minute watching it in person while it is estimated over 1 billion people watched on television across the world! When Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance the crowd was even more worked up.
Toward the end of the 10-hour concert Dire Straits was performing and the crowd was singing to every song. Then the final act came on stage, Jessye Norman an American soprano. She was not considered a rock star, and as she slowly came on stage the crowd was getting restless hoping Dire Straits would come back and sing another song. Some people were shouting out for another musician while she positioned herself behind the microphone. Then in a beautiful a cappella she began to sing “Amazing Grace.” When you hear her start singing you can hear the crowd still somewhat upset, and then quickly a hush falls over them. As she kept on going the crowd began to gently sing with her. Later Norman confessed that she had no idea what power fell over the crowd that night.
There is no doubt that the power she experienced was the Holy Spirit, ensuring that people were still sent out from that concert to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. What was a grand concert became church because people experienced the Holy Spirit! God is still at work all over the place, breathing the Holy Spirit onto us in order that we can be sent out to do the work of God. Today let us pray that we caught up in this wave of glory that is the Holy Spirit!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What type of peace is Jesus offering? What does it mean to be sent out by Jesus? How important is it to you that Jesus sends you out? Do you experience the Holy Spirit as you go out? If so, how have you experienced the Holy Spirit?
On June 11, 1988 a concert called “Freedom Festival” was held in London. Musicians throughout the world came together to hold a concert in honor of Nelson Mandela on his 70th birthday and to make a stand against apartheid in South Africa. The concert began with Sting working the crowd into a frenzy. Then musician after musician took the stage to sing while speeches were given in between sets. Over 72,000 people were loving each minute watching it in person while it is estimated over 1 billion people watched on television across the world! When Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance the crowd was even more worked up.
Toward the end of the 10-hour concert Dire Straits was performing and the crowd was singing to every song. Then the final act came on stage, Jessye Norman an American soprano. She was not considered a rock star, and as she slowly came on stage the crowd was getting restless hoping Dire Straits would come back and sing another song. Some people were shouting out for another musician while she positioned herself behind the microphone. Then in a beautiful a cappella she began to sing “Amazing Grace.” When you hear her start singing you can hear the crowd still somewhat upset, and then quickly a hush falls over them. As she kept on going the crowd began to gently sing with her. Later Norman confessed that she had no idea what power fell over the crowd that night.
There is no doubt that the power she experienced was the Holy Spirit, ensuring that people were still sent out from that concert to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. What was a grand concert became church because people experienced the Holy Spirit! God is still at work all over the place, breathing the Holy Spirit onto us in order that we can be sent out to do the work of God. Today let us pray that we caught up in this wave of glory that is the Holy Spirit!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Grieving the Holy Spirit
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. – Ephesians 4:30 (NIV)
What do you think it means to grieve the Holy Spirit? Is there something about you that might grieve God? Do you believe yourself to have been sealed by the Holy Spirit?
Once as a chaplain I was called to be with someone who “needed support.” When I arrived I was told the woman in the room had just watched her husband die in front of her. She was morbidly obese and had been bed ridden for several years. Earlier that day her husband arrived home and had a heart attack, falling to the ground. There was no phone within her reach and as she struggled to reach the phone to call for help her husband passed away only feet from her.
She was brought to us, and I was called to be with her, to make sure she wasn’t alone. I entered the room and the first thing that hit me was the smell. This poor woman had not bathed for years and the smell of years of neglect saturated each corner of the tiny room she in which she lay. Parts of her body were caked with layers of dirt and filth. I attempted some words of comfort, but they were inauthentic as I tried to situate myself as far as possible from her, as I tried to save myself.
For perhaps 20 minutes or so I stood far from her in this room. She a grieving widow, and me fairly useless, unwilling to even hold her hand. It was then I heard footsteps approaching the room, and I turned to the door in time to see a little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years of age run into that sad room. She ran right to the bed and jumped onto the woman. The girl threw her tiny arms around the woman’s neck, kissed her cheek and said, “I love you grandma. Don’t worry I’m here now and it will be all right.”
I wonder how much I grieved the Holy Spirit before that girl entered and taught me how to love.
When we do not live the lives to which we have been called and for which we have been saved, should we ever add to the misery of another living soul, and at those times we abandon Christian charity for selfish ambition of any sort, we grieve the Holy Spirit. However when we live into the reality of our redemption, the places we go become the places Christ can be found because he lives in us. Then there is no grieving the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is celebrating that we have become the joy with which God created us!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What do you think it means to grieve the Holy Spirit? Is there something about you that might grieve God? Do you believe yourself to have been sealed by the Holy Spirit?
Once as a chaplain I was called to be with someone who “needed support.” When I arrived I was told the woman in the room had just watched her husband die in front of her. She was morbidly obese and had been bed ridden for several years. Earlier that day her husband arrived home and had a heart attack, falling to the ground. There was no phone within her reach and as she struggled to reach the phone to call for help her husband passed away only feet from her.
She was brought to us, and I was called to be with her, to make sure she wasn’t alone. I entered the room and the first thing that hit me was the smell. This poor woman had not bathed for years and the smell of years of neglect saturated each corner of the tiny room she in which she lay. Parts of her body were caked with layers of dirt and filth. I attempted some words of comfort, but they were inauthentic as I tried to situate myself as far as possible from her, as I tried to save myself.
For perhaps 20 minutes or so I stood far from her in this room. She a grieving widow, and me fairly useless, unwilling to even hold her hand. It was then I heard footsteps approaching the room, and I turned to the door in time to see a little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years of age run into that sad room. She ran right to the bed and jumped onto the woman. The girl threw her tiny arms around the woman’s neck, kissed her cheek and said, “I love you grandma. Don’t worry I’m here now and it will be all right.”
I wonder how much I grieved the Holy Spirit before that girl entered and taught me how to love.
When we do not live the lives to which we have been called and for which we have been saved, should we ever add to the misery of another living soul, and at those times we abandon Christian charity for selfish ambition of any sort, we grieve the Holy Spirit. However when we live into the reality of our redemption, the places we go become the places Christ can be found because he lives in us. Then there is no grieving the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is celebrating that we have become the joy with which God created us!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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