"For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." Luke 12:12
I was reading in Acts and chapter 13 verse 4 caught my attention. It says "The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus."
The idea of them being sent on their way by the Holy Spirit was what interested me. I had sort of known that the Holy Spirit guides and I have read this scripture before but it never quite sank in. Later on too the Holy Spirit kept them from preaching the word in the province of Asia - Acts 16:6.
So I did some research. The Holy Spirit does a lot of things. If you let it.
It Teaches:
Luke 12:12 "For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
It Reveals:
Luke 2:26 "It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ."
John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
It Leads:
Luke 4:1 "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordon and was led by the spirit in the desert."
It Sends:
Acts 13:4 "The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus."
It Gives:
1 Corinthians 12:7 "Now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good."
Heb 2:4 "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
It Frees:
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
It Grows (fruit of the Spirit):
Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. Against such things there is no law."
It Helps:
Romans 8:26 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
I can tell you right now that the Fruit of the Spirit need some serious cultivation in me. Right now they are sort of small and puckered. Some water(spirit), fertilizer(scripture), and attention(study,practice)...then maybe they will grow into nice big delicious looking fruit. The idea of a really nice well kept orchard appeals to me. I'll work on that.
Did I leave anything out? Miss something? Let me know--help is always appreciated!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Colossians 3:16 "with gratitude in your hearts"
Colossians 3:16 says "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." NIV
I like this. The whole thing but especially the part about gratitude in your hearts to god. Other translations say "thankfulness." One says "grace." It basically just means to be thankful always.
The part about letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly is something that we all need to remember to do. Even if you can't read the bible for some reason you can think on it. Keep it in your heart. (Deut 6:5) And that will lead to gratitude also. This means of course that you have to know it...at least in general. But memorizing is a good thing too. This I definitely need to do more of.
I like this. The whole thing but especially the part about gratitude in your hearts to god. Other translations say "thankfulness." One says "grace." It basically just means to be thankful always.
The part about letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly is something that we all need to remember to do. Even if you can't read the bible for some reason you can think on it. Keep it in your heart. (Deut 6:5) And that will lead to gratitude also. This means of course that you have to know it...at least in general. But memorizing is a good thing too. This I definitely need to do more of.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Tenth Commandment- You Shall Not Covet
The tenth commandment says "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17
This one is dealing with attitudes. The state of ones heart and mind. The very feeling of wanting something specific that belongs to your neighbor is warned against. Probably because feelings and thoughts lead to actions. But even if they don't lead anywhere you are to guard against coveting what belongs to your neighbor.
This doesn't mean you can't want something like what your neighbor has. If your neighbor has a brand new fancy car and you admire it and decide you want to get one for yourself...there may be nothing wrong with that at all. If you are envious, or resentful that your neighbor has something you do not...then that could be a problem.
This seems to mostly deal with specifics. Your neighbors wife...that specific woman. Coveting her might lead to adultery or as happened to David...murder. Both have a death sentence attached. To want a wife of your own because you see how happy your neighbors marriage is...that is allowable. To want your neighbors donkey, or his horse, or his car...that might lead to stealing. To want to get one of your own that is similar to his is OK.
We are to be ourselves. To find our own place. Our own calling. Our own things. Not to take over someone elses. This may take a lifetime to learn. It is something we should strive for.
References : St. John in the Wilderness
The Mechanics of Faith
WikiPedia-You Shall Not Covet
This one is dealing with attitudes. The state of ones heart and mind. The very feeling of wanting something specific that belongs to your neighbor is warned against. Probably because feelings and thoughts lead to actions. But even if they don't lead anywhere you are to guard against coveting what belongs to your neighbor.
This doesn't mean you can't want something like what your neighbor has. If your neighbor has a brand new fancy car and you admire it and decide you want to get one for yourself...there may be nothing wrong with that at all. If you are envious, or resentful that your neighbor has something you do not...then that could be a problem.
This seems to mostly deal with specifics. Your neighbors wife...that specific woman. Coveting her might lead to adultery or as happened to David...murder. Both have a death sentence attached. To want a wife of your own because you see how happy your neighbors marriage is...that is allowable. To want your neighbors donkey, or his horse, or his car...that might lead to stealing. To want to get one of your own that is similar to his is OK.
We are to be ourselves. To find our own place. Our own calling. Our own things. Not to take over someone elses. This may take a lifetime to learn. It is something we should strive for.
References : St. John in the Wilderness
The Mechanics of Faith
WikiPedia-You Shall Not Covet
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Ninth Commandment-You Shall Not Give False Testimony
The ninth commandment says "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16
The word translated as neighbor here can actually mean just about anyone. So basically it is saying to tell the truth about other people. Don't go around telling lies about other people. Especially if you would gain something by doing so. This includes both public speaking, as in a court of law, and private, as in speaking to your best friend in your own kitchen.
There are several reasons for this commandment. One is that Gods people were to reflect his character. God is completely honest. Therefore his people should be honest. Another reason is that bearing false witness against a person, even just gossiping about him, was and is, very hurtful to that person. It can harm him in many ways such as damaging his reputation, hurting his business, or just hurting his feelings. Gods people were commanded to love their neighbors. Hurting someone is not loving. False witness was also very destructive to society as a whole. If people can not trust the courts and do not believe that justice will be done then law and order tends break down. This causes suffering for everyone.
Jesus also said to love your enemy as well as your neighbor. So this means you are not even to tell lies about your worst enemy. Which is extremely hard to do. Especially if you are really angry at the person. Remember, the new testament also says to be angry but do not sin. Ephesians 4:26
Another post I read cited some times in the old testament when telling lies seemed to be ok. He made the point that it is hurting others and the expectation of honesty that matter. I'm not sure if that is entirely correct or not but there are some good points in that post.
I think this is something that needs more consideration on my part. I need to make sure that I'm not saying harmful things. Unless of course they are true! Maybe.
References : Got Questions?org
Micheal Williams-Master of None
The word translated as neighbor here can actually mean just about anyone. So basically it is saying to tell the truth about other people. Don't go around telling lies about other people. Especially if you would gain something by doing so. This includes both public speaking, as in a court of law, and private, as in speaking to your best friend in your own kitchen.
There are several reasons for this commandment. One is that Gods people were to reflect his character. God is completely honest. Therefore his people should be honest. Another reason is that bearing false witness against a person, even just gossiping about him, was and is, very hurtful to that person. It can harm him in many ways such as damaging his reputation, hurting his business, or just hurting his feelings. Gods people were commanded to love their neighbors. Hurting someone is not loving. False witness was also very destructive to society as a whole. If people can not trust the courts and do not believe that justice will be done then law and order tends break down. This causes suffering for everyone.
Jesus also said to love your enemy as well as your neighbor. So this means you are not even to tell lies about your worst enemy. Which is extremely hard to do. Especially if you are really angry at the person. Remember, the new testament also says to be angry but do not sin. Ephesians 4:26
Another post I read cited some times in the old testament when telling lies seemed to be ok. He made the point that it is hurting others and the expectation of honesty that matter. I'm not sure if that is entirely correct or not but there are some good points in that post.
I think this is something that needs more consideration on my part. I need to make sure that I'm not saying harmful things. Unless of course they are true! Maybe.
References : Got Questions?org
Micheal Williams-Master of None
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The Eighth Commandment - You Shall Not Steal
The eighth commandment says : You Shall Not Steal. I have been thinking about this and reading some online sermons, then thinking some more.
One of the online bible studies by Jim Davis makes the point that everyone has stolen something at some time in their lives. Therefore we are all thieves. He lists many ways that we steal. Some of them are things that never entered my mind. There is also a long list of the excuses we make for this. He says it much better than I can so You should go read it here.
There is another good bible study at St. John in the Wilderness. They make the point that ownership of anything is a gift from God. Stealing is not only wronging the person stolen from but God himself. And stealing also implies that one does not trust God.
This one is hard. These days there are so many ways to steal and people don't really think anything of it. Just about everyone I know tries not to have to pay any taxes. That could be stealing. Finding something of value and not returning it is stealing. Going to work and goofing off...but still accepting your pay...that is stealing. Cheating on exams to get a grade you don't deserve...is that stealing? According to one pastor M.G. Blankenship "the greatest theft of all is an unrepentant, unsurrendered life!"
This one I'm going to have to work on. And think about a lot more. I don't like thinking of myself as a thief.
One of the online bible studies by Jim Davis makes the point that everyone has stolen something at some time in their lives. Therefore we are all thieves. He lists many ways that we steal. Some of them are things that never entered my mind. There is also a long list of the excuses we make for this. He says it much better than I can so You should go read it here.
There is another good bible study at St. John in the Wilderness. They make the point that ownership of anything is a gift from God. Stealing is not only wronging the person stolen from but God himself. And stealing also implies that one does not trust God.
This one is hard. These days there are so many ways to steal and people don't really think anything of it. Just about everyone I know tries not to have to pay any taxes. That could be stealing. Finding something of value and not returning it is stealing. Going to work and goofing off...but still accepting your pay...that is stealing. Cheating on exams to get a grade you don't deserve...is that stealing? According to one pastor M.G. Blankenship "the greatest theft of all is an unrepentant, unsurrendered life!"
This one I'm going to have to work on. And think about a lot more. I don't like thinking of myself as a thief.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)