by CM
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalms 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
“The transformative ‘before’ and ‘after’ effect of the Gospel in the life of a believer”
Life has been described in many ways, too many to list here. But I’d be willing to stake odds that you’ll almost assuredly never hear this one: easy. Quite the opposite, life isn’t easy, and for more often than one would like to admit we get overwhelmed by circumstances we’re ill-prepared for. The feeling we experience in such moments is called stress. But why is life so hard?
Scripture says that God placed all the works of His hand under our dominion, and that our constitution is only a little lower than His own (Psalms 8:4-6). Sounds like we’re built for much more than what we deal with in our daily lives. There is only one plausible explanation for all the stress, there’s an un-utilized component in the mix. That component is the personal presence of God.
The Holy Spirit isn’t available for access to one who hasn’t come to know Christ. So that person is left to his or her own devices, resources, networks, etc., to solve their challenges. Consider it like pouring a gallon of water into a thimble.
One becomes accustomed to operating from a thimble perspective, and even after one gains access to the Holy Spirit, they haven’t truly had their minds renewed. So they leave that source untapped, when they don’t have to.
Allow yourself to learn how to live a stress free life. It’ll take practice, and a lot of trust, but Wisdom from High predates the existence of Earth. Surely there’s nothing common to Earth which is too hard for Divine Wisdom to solve.
The dominion we’ve been given requires the Holy Spirit, and to access that source requires faith, or adopting the emotional state one would have if the challenge was already overcome; with the full conviction that it already is.
Tap into that which is ours, for it is God’s pleasure to freely give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
Prison Lectionary 