St. Patrick

On March 18, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 23: 1 – 3

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!  I decided to donate today’s devotional to Saint Patrick. Did you know St. Patrick was a shepherd? His story reminds me  of David who was also a shepherd boy. Patrick was abducted from his home in England and sold into slavery to an Irish land holder. There, much like David, he spent his youth tending sheep.

I wrote to you recently about feeling alone. I said you are never really alone because God is always there with you. There is a big difference between solitude and loneliness. These two lads, David and Patrick, spent much time with only the company of God and sheep. In that solitude with God, their faith was forged. They learned how to be by themselves without ever truly being alone. In their shepherding, they met THE shepherd, the great shepherd. In this famous psalm, David portrays, beautifully, the characteristics and manner of the shepherding God.

Patrick said that in his solitude, he grew closer and closer to God. The time he spent watching sheep was also spent in prayer. The more he prayed, he said, the more the Spirit grew in him. He was not bothered by cold temperatures nor was he plagued by fear.

As I ponder these two shepherd boys who grew to be giants of faith, I realize how little quiet and solitude most of us enjoy. Sometimes I feel we are a lost generation. We are either too busy, filling our days with every kind of distraction, or we are lost in loneliness when we should be reveling in time with our beloved. How is it that neither Patrick nor David fell into despair in the night watches?

Do you long to know Jesus as they did? Do you hunger for the kind of confidence in God they knew? It is for all of us, but there is a price. We must spend time in prayer and in seeking. What did their prayer look like? They were out in the fields for days and weeks. Did they pray like we have been taught, or did it take on the tone of conversation? Did they praise and worship God?

We have an opportunity to never be lonely again and to grow in the strength and confidence of the Lord. It takes humility, which I understand, can be a stumbling block. None the less, we can know what Patrick’s development looked like if we would begin our own journey in prayer. It begins with opening your heart and then your mouth to God. Begin to speak to Him. When we have spoken with Him for hours, then we shall find it possible to pray for days.

Did you ever wonder why the great shepherd leads us beside quiet waters? I think we have found the answer.

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Healing Spirit

On March 17, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your moral bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

I would love to be in a room discussing this passage with you. I would like to know what this verse says to you. Is it a strong encouragement or is it a bit outlandish?

I have been thinking about the creation of the universe and the creator. We know Him, of course. We also know that Jesus was with Him in the beginning and that nothing was made apart from Jesus (John 1: 1 – 3). Jesus also told us that he is in us (John 14: 21), and the Holy Spirit too (John 14: 17). So, the power of creation lives within us. He is the source of all life and Jesus is the life (John 14: 6).

Because of these things we conclude that the creative power of God lives within us and also life lives within us because where there is Jesus, there is life. With all of this living within our very cells, you would think that life would bubble forth from us. I think, though, that Paul wrote this verse trying to get people to grasp this amazing truth so they could experience the benefit, thereof.

What do you think God made the earth from? Have you pondered that? Well, I will tell you. He created the earth and everything on it of His own substance. What else was there really? If Jesus is the life, then it took a bit of the life to create life. That makes sense, doesn’t it? At one level this sounds so simple yet at another, it is mind blowing. The key for us is in the simplicity of it. “In the beginning was the word (Jesus) . . . and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being” (John 1: 1, 3). So, the building blocks of the universe, frankly, are resident in our cell structure. Then, above all things, Yahweh breathed into us the Spirit, His own Spirit. With this pedigree it is no wonder Paul saw the great healing potential within us all.

The power which formed us in the first place, and which had enough healing power to raise Jesus from the dead is inside you right now. Further, the power that raised Lazarus from the dead is alive in you. Since you have resurrection power in you and you have Jesus, who is life in you, then that same power can aid your physical body. Isn’t that exciting? The power which raised up Jesus is flowing in your veins. Your very breath is God’s own Spirit moving and breathing in you. You have the trifecta of healing power in you. I reckon if this power could raise a dead body, then it can heal what ails us too, no matter the ailment.

Today could be your day. It only takes one revelation of God’s Word to set off a cascade of miracles in you. I pray the healing of the Lord is fully manifested in you today!

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The Great Secret

On January 28, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Colossians 1: 27

For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.

Here is your answer Job. Yesterday’s Word of the Day saw Job lost without God and no way to find Him. Job wanted to speak with God directly but didn’t know how to find Him. What great news this would have been to him.

Can we even begin to wrap our heads around this? I cannot, yet I believe it and rely on it in no small measure. The Trinity has come to earth to make its abode with us, more importantly, in us. This is the great mystery, the super-secret. Paul was astounded that he got to share it with people but like John, he struggled for the words to make it come alive in people’s minds. How do we open ourselves to this truth enough that it becomes real to us?

One of our issues is that we have been trained to be more physically minded than spiritually minded. It shows up in this question, where within us, does God abide? Is He in our hearts? Is there empty space in our abdomens that He can abide? We think of empty spaces that he can fill. That is a very physical concept. However, God is beyond that. He can fill non-empty spaces.

Begin here. Imagine your spirit. What does it look like to you? Is it some ethereal cloud like form that lives within you? Now, imagine two clouds blending together. That’s not so hard to do. You’ve watched the clouds in the sky on a summer’s day and seen it happen. They simply become one cloud. The new looks like neither of the individual clouds. They have become a new thing.

Let’s go a different direction. Perhaps your spirit is more like oxygen moving through all the spaces of your body. It infiltrates every cell. This is how I picture the Holy Spirit living in my body. He lives within muscle tissue, in blood cells; he abides in the cartilage and ligaments in knees, in bones, literally everywhere.

This is the great mystery, and it is so fascinating, but truth be told, we do not have to unravel the mystery to appreciate it. The best thing we can do is to just accept it and live our lives in the reality of it. What does life look like if you really believe Christ is in you? What if you were aware that he goes with you in every appointment or every job interview. Would that change your confidence level? Think, too, is there any place you sometimes go that you would not want to take Jesus to. That is a sobering thought.

Enjoy this great miracle of the Holy Trinity living in you, living in your spirit and in your living tissue. That ought to impact the way you think about healing too.

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The Trinity

On October 29, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 2: 10 – 13                God’s Word

God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, especially the deep things of God. After all, who knows everything about a person except that person’s own spirit? In the same way, no one has known everything about God except God’s Spirit. Now, we didn’t receive the spirit that belongs to the world. Instead, we received the Spirit who comes from God so that we could know the things which God has freely given us. We don’t speak about these things using teachings that are based on intellectual arguments like people do. Instead, we use the Spirit’s teachings. We explain spiritual things to those who have the Spirit.

I well remember the day when I realized that I had a pretty good relationship with Jesus, but almost no relationship with the Father. Actually, it was worse than that for I discovered I harbored resentment deep in my heart towards Father. In my youth I blamed Him for some of the bad things which happened to me. Years later, I discovered those feelings remained hidden in the bowels of my spirit. I immediately began to repair those old hurts and enter into a new relationship with God.

I have since found that I am not alone in this one dimension relationship with the Trinity. Other Christians fellowship with Christ but have almost no communion with the Father. This, we must remedy. Far worse, though, is how few have a relationship with the Spirit.

In today’s passage we learn of Paul’s reliance on the Spirit of God. His writing emphasizes the importance of sharing fellowship with the Spirit of God, explaining that it is only through this fellowship that we will ever truly know God.

I strongly believe we are living in the Age of the Spirit. I have written this before. When Jesus left the earth, he sent us another, a comforter, who would be with us until the end of the age. We must embrace this other, this comforter sent by Christ. It begins with the prayer of solicitation. Just ask. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life. Ask him to live in your heart, to intertwine with your own spirit and make himself known to you. Invite him to participate in everything you do and be mindful of him. Quiet your mind and listen to the voice in your spirit for he will communicate with you through that intertwined life within you. You will become one. He will share his thoughts and wisdom with you through that connection. Ask him to become an integral part of your life and your day. Wake up tomorrow and welcome him to your day. Become mindful that God is three persons and be alert for all three parts to be a part with you.

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Living Lamp

On October 18, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 20: 27         TPT

The spirit God breathed into man is like a living lamp, a shining light, searching into the inner most chamber of our being.

There is so much in this little verse I hardly know where to begin, but let us begin with breath.

The beginning of this verse is the Genesis story of the creation of humans. God breathed life into us. He breathed a bit of Himself into us and we came into being as spirit beings. There is much to be appreciated in a discussion about God and breath as well. You can search the Word of the Day online at Ivey Ministries for some insightful ideas. Here is one titled Creative Breath which will get you started.

The spiritual breath is only the beginning to understanding this verse. It is the foundation, but I want to move on to the idea of the lamp. When we understand that the spirit of a person began with the Spirit of God layers of revelation unfold before us. Of course, the spirit is like a lamp or a shining light. I cannot separate in my own mind the spirit of the person from the Spirit of God. Going forward from that premise, I am reminded that Jesus is the light (John 8: 12). The light shines bringing everything into the light, even the darkest recesses of our being.

I am amused at myself often. One of the humorous bits is that in my past I thought I could hide something from God. He inhabits my innermost being and illuminates every space. Darkness cannot survive where there is God. We try to keep God out of some of the sensitive spots, rooms where we tend to leave the light off. These are usually rooms where we house our hurt and/or our insecurities. The really funny thing is that when we expose them to God, He isn’t surprised. This great revelation is anything but for Him. Second, it is in the invitation for God to enter these forsaken chambers that healing occurs. In truth, it is from ourselves we attempt to hide the truth. We cannot hide from Yahweh because He is that shining lamp within us. When we finally stop running, we can, ourselves, take a deep breath of healing.

Some people may find the thought that God illuminates every chamber of our being uncomfortable. I find it comforting, but I didn’t always. Now knowing that He is occupying even the spaces I may not be ready to confront reassures me that I am fully in His hands. His intimate knowledge of all of me allows Him to lead me in ways that I may not understand but which are for my ultimate good. There is nothing I can hide from the Father and that is okay because He even takes my ugliness and turns it to good. So, let the light shine!

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Castaway

On December 4, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 51: 11

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

This prayer from David seems the picture of a dichotomy. On the one hand, it sounds like a desperate prayer offered as a last hope from one at the end of his rope. On the other hand, it sounds like an everyday prayer.

I was thinking just this morning about Jesus saying he could do nothing apart from the Father. I still find that an astounding statement, but how much more true is it of me? If the Father should take His Spirit from me, I would be able to do nothing. NOTHING! The thought is alarming. His presence with us daily is life.

This is my definition of hell, to be out of the presence of God, void of His Spirit. So, this prayer amounts to, “Save me from hell!” David’s guilt tormented him so that he began to understand the torment of hell. I pray, “Save us from even one moment outside your grace. Please do not take your Spirit away.”

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Breathe

On June 15, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 104: 29 – 30

You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire and return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground.

You might not know it to just read these two verses, but they contain a couple of insights into the Divine Trinity and creation. In order to show the revelation which is contained here, let us first read this passage from a different translation. “When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created.” That rendition is from the New Living Bible. Did you see what happened between the two translations? The word “spirit” changed to “breath.” If you check the footnotes in any of the translations, you will find the other word footnoted. So, what does this mean?

There are several revelations in this. First, and probably most obvious, is that God’s Spirit, i.e. the Holy Spirit, is the breath of God. Now, if we were in church together, I could do a three-week series on that alone. What does it mean that breath is synonymous with God’s Spirit? A beginning point to answer that question is that every place in the Bible where you see breath or Spirit, you can, and should, mentally exchange the words. When you see that God “breathed” on something, you should hear, “Holy Spirit.” Somehow the Holy Spirit of God was involved in what was going on.

Second, God’s breath is life. We see that from these two verses, but it is evident from the creation story as well. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being,” (Genesis 2: 7). So, it was the Holy Spirit of God which gave human beings their life. That is exactly what these two verses say. If we have the breath of God, the Spirit, then we have life. If the breath departs, so does life.

Now, I think that is easy enough to accept and understand at a basic level, but let’s take it to the next level. If a person has life, then doesn’t that mean he/she has a measure of the Holy Spirit? Besides which, Jesus is the life, so it is not a far reach to say that every living being has a measure of God’s Spirit, albeit, not in the fullness thereof. This does have a tendency to set our theology on its head, especially a theology of favoritism. It, on the other hand, explains why God thinks of us all as His children, even before we are saved. Whatsmore, today’s passage speaks explicitly of animals acknowledging that God gives them breath and life and feeds them by His own hand. So, through this we come to understand at a much deeper level how God views the earth and all of its creatures.

I am not saying that there is no difference between animals and humans. God does not call the animals His children nor has He given them authority. None the less, there is a wee bit of His own spark within them which is how they have life. We know this from today’s verses which speak specifically of God’s breath, the Holy Spirit. Second, I am not saying that we all have the Holy Spirit in the same measure. If you read the verses on the Holy Spirit you will see there are also different measures of “life.” This passage does not refer to the spiritual, newborn life, or even Spirit-filled life. It speaks to biological life of both humans and animals. So, don’t use these verses to overreach. They mean what they mean but don’t confer meaning beyond the text. They should bring enlightenment without us having to jump off a bridge. What they should speak to us is that we all have a bit of God within us giving us life. Some of us have come to know God personally; others have not. None the less, we are all brothers and sisters. We need to be gracious and inviting towards one another. We are blessed that we have been given truth for which we give the Lord praise.

Lastly, what I hope you will take out of this verse is the absolute connection between God’s Holy Spirit and breath. When you pause to take a deep breath, I hope, in your mind, you will connect that breath to God’s Spirit. Think on drawing more of the Spirit down into your lungs where that breath will be absorbed and distributed through your body. Let the breath of God increase in your being. And when you exhale, perhaps you exhale out injury, sickness, anger, or unforgiveness. Let the Spirit bring you revelation in and with your breath and find your stillness and peace in that breath. Shalom!

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