D.E.A.R.

And Peter said to them, "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

--Acts 2:38

Here is the reason why we must stop depicting the gift of salvation as nothing more than fire insurance. When I was very little, I "became a Christian," for the sole reason of escaping Hell. Truth be told, I was terrified of being sent to a place of torture and torment for eternity. The ABC's of becoming a Christian, to me, was a fire escape. That was it.

But there is so much more! This is the part of the Good News that is often skipped over when telling others about Jesus. We're sure to include "He died for your sins!" "If you receive Him, you can live with Him in paradise when you die!" "He loves you so much, He paid the price!" All of that is true. It's beautiful, convicting, and wonderful truth. But there is more. If we make conversion a momentary agreement with benefits to receive after death, if we make it sound like a prize that will be bestowed after this life, we are missing something sooo important.

When we repent and are baptized, we are given a gift; He is the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives us His Spirit. This world can be a dangerous place for believers, but we have been given someone who guides us through life! He is someone who sees God's plans, because He is God. Why do we overlook the opportunity of living with the Spirit of God within us? He is the part of the trinity that remains so mysterious, because He is seldom talked about. But when Jesus left, He sent the Holy Spirit to guard us, protect us, and teach us until Christ's return.

So who is He?

And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of its sin, 

and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. When the Spirit of truth comes, 

he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.

--John 16:8, 13-14

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him because he lives with you now and later will be in you. When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative- that is, the Holy Spirit- he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

--John 14:16-17, 26

We are called Christians because we strive to be imitators of Christ. The only way we can truly be like Him is if we listen to the Spirit that He has put inside of us, right? We already know that the Fruit of the Spirit, (the fruit we produce when we let the Holy Spirit take control) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, and gentleness. It is the Holy Spirit living inside of us that transforms us into the image of Christ! Though many people don't truly understand what it means to "accept Jesus into our hearts," that is what it means! He gives us the amazing gift of His own Spirit, to direct our lives into God's Will.

Sounds ideal, does it not? We get so worried over what we should do with our lives- where we should go, who we should marry, what job we should apply for... we stress over figuring out God's Will for our lives. But we have someone inside of us who knows those plans. He directs us towards that great blueprint for our lives.

So there's no need to worry, right? We can leave it up to God's Spirit, who has made his home inside our very hearts. It's the perfect gift- indescribable, really. However... many of us have become deaf over time. Many of us rarely listen to Him.

When was the last time you felt convicted? When was the last time you felt your heart tugging you to go help someone, say something, or do something difficult? When was the last time you listened? 

God has given me plenty of opportunities to shed His light to those around me. Those chances have come up in the most random places at the most unexpected times... at the pool, at a theatre, at a track meet, in a food court, on the street, in a line-up, at the gas station, and countless other places. Some of those opportunities I took. Some I ignored. But I can tell you this for a FACT: the ones that I took, I never regretted... but the ones I ignored haunt me to this very day.

The Holy Spirit is what sets us apart, as believers. Therefore, the more we listen to Him, the clearer His instruction becomes to us, the more evident our Walk with Christ will be. He is the way to live an abundant, fulfilling life- He is always there to guide us, if we would just take the time to listen and obey.

Romans 8:14~

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Before we believed, we couldn't understand. We couldn't see the sin in our lives. We couldn't see the truth. It was like we had a veil over our eyes, and we did not see the need to try to live holy lives. But look at the drastic difference the gift of the Holy Spirit gives us:

2 Corinthians 3:16-18~

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord- who is the Spirit- makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

So often we hear the Holy Spirit's guiding us, but we don't realize how truly and infinitely perfect His instruction is. We can't see beyond our own ideas and goals, so when we feel convicted for some work or deed, we sometimes back away because it interferes with our own plans. It's stupid! We have the power that holds the universe, and the wisdom that surpasses all understanding living in our hearts, and we STILL think we know better.

We make excuses. I'm too tired. Too busy. Too young. Too old. Too scared. Too ________. When Jesus returns and receives all of us who have His Spirit... I don't think those excuses will mean anything to Him. With the Spirit of God living inside of us, there are NO limits on what we can do. Therefore, there should be no excuses. The Holy Spirit's calling, wherever and whenever we feel it, should ALWAYS override our schedules. It is priority. We are Christ's agents of Love, and we have a pager that is active 24/7. It's our choice and our responsibility to obey, abandoning our own skepticism.

It is my personal belief that we please God, giving glory to His Name, when we obey His instruction despite our flaws. It is time to grasp that in our weakness, He is stronger! The commands He gives us that we think we are unable to do are the ones that He can display His amazing power through! 

Don't back away from the scary opportunities, run towards them! When the Spirit gives you a challenge, dive in saying, "God, I can't wait to see the miracle you're about to perform!"

God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called. --Henry T. Blackaby

Next time you feel the "nudge," D.E.A.R.       

Drop. Everything. And. Respond.

Mr. Nobody

Why are people so opposed to believing in God? It's the same reason they have for sass-mouthing the Starbucks barista who messed up their order. It's the same reason they have for flipping off the driver who neglected to signal before lane-changing. It's the same reason they have for stealing, cheating, and lying... for demanding a full refund for any inconvenience... and for filing a lawsuit when the coffee is too hot.

We think we are gods.

In advanced economies and modernized countries, we believe this more than we admit. Look around you at all the things in your house you've complained about, at one point. Think about everything you've wanted to change; everything that is not quite to your satisfaction. Think of the last time you went to a restaurant with a group. Is it not insane how often we hear things like, "Goodness, this chicken is a little bit dry," "I can't believe they gave me olives. Didn't I specifically tell them, 'no olives'?" "How long does it take to fry a burger, honestly?" "I am not impressed. There were plenty of empty booths- why did they have to seat us by the door?!"

Think about all the issues with the car. Think of how much you wish the weather was nicer. Think about your aches and pains. Think about how terrible your sleep was last night. Think about how old and ragged your clothes are getting. Think about how you deserve a raise. Doesn't it make you mad? Don't you deserve everything to be nice and comfortable?

No. Never, in a million years, will any of us deserve even one nice thing. However, we will continue to receive countless luxuries, every day for the rest of most of our lives, most likely. We will have more than enough food. We will have a dynamic choice for clothes and shoes. We will have transportation and spare change whenever we need it. We will have everything we could ever need, and most of the things we want. And yet, we still find the nerve to complain. Every day. About everything, and everyone.

Have some sense, people! Believe me, I am saying this to myself, as well. We are human beings! We are little walking nobodies who can't survive more than a few days without food and water. We die of heat. We die of cold. We die of hunger and thirst. We die of pain and injury. We can't even protect ourselves from disease. We can't protect ourselves from violence. Heck, we get sick if we eat a bit of raw meat. How pathetic are we?!

...and yet we still have the nerve to think we are better than God.

We need to have everything provided for us. Food, water, clothing, shelter, education, entertainment, recreation, money- we can't do anything by ourselves. We are helpless individuals who, for some reason, have the idea that we are powerful royalty. Despite our obvious weaknesses, the human race is still the only species who considers itself a) valuable, b) important, c) entitled, and d) worthy. Reality is, we are none of those things.

Most of the world is going about its business claiming to be somebody, but living like a nobody. The measures they are taking to secure their place in this world are both impressive, and depressing. The years of education, the years of working and toiling to earn enough, the years of preparation, hoping to someday arrive at their dream are worthless. It means nothing. Everything we do is as pointless as a fish trying to grow legs and walk, or a snake trying to grow wings and fly. No matter how much effort they put in, no matter how much they want it... it will never pay off. They are what they are, and that is just the way it is.

But there is a way for people to make something of themselves. There is a way to do something worthwhile.

Acts 20:22-24~

"And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus- the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."

That was Paul talking. He knew what lay in store for Him in Jerusalem, but He also understood His place. He understood who He was, and that was the foundation of everything that He did as a follower of Christ.

To live a life of meaning and purpose, we need divine intervention. The only way we will ever accomplish anything of worth, is if we are living according to the One who is worthy of all praise. It's logical, is it not? We are so small. Weak. Futile. Insignificant. A life of service to the Most Holy God, the King of Kings, is the only thing we can do that will be worth anything. Otherwise, we simply wait around with the rest of mankind, trying to do something of value, (a hopeless task) and postponing inevitable death.

It is the ones who accept their position as humble servants that have a hope of seeing glory, and pleasing Christ. For He is worthy of it all, and still decided that we were worth dying for. He gives us our worth- a worth that is proven by our worship and sacrifice.

We need to recognize who we are. We need to start looking at everything we have as undeserved gifts, and fading treasures. We are here temporarily, on a mission with a deadline. The time that we spend acting like we are kings of the world will produce nothing but anger and frustration. It just doesn't make sense. 

But the time that we spend in our rightful place, in the service of the King of Kings... that will be something worth remembering for eternity.