OUR LIVES

Jn 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21

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Each day that we wake up, we hurry to get things accomplished and meet obligations at a mad pace. We are at the mercy of a system that demands from us more than we can deliver.

If all of a sudden we were in a slow motion perspective, how would we live life in general? If we were in such slow motion that we did not draw a breath in – until we thought about the act of inhaling - how would we value life? If we were in such slow motion that we did not put one foot in front of the other – until we thought about each step - what direction would we go? If we were in slow motion enough that we did not speak one word – until we thought about each syllable – what would we say to others?

If we slow down and really consider our lives, we learn the fundamentals that God has given us. We do not draw in even one breath unless God gives us that breath of life. We do not take even one step unless God gives us the strength to move in any direction. We do not speak even one word unless God gives us the words to utter to others.

Up until this point, we really give no consideration to the miracle of God’s plan for our lives. We do not grasp the complete concept, anyway, which is mainly it is not OUR life. We inhale and exhale because God wills it, and we walk and speak because God enables us to do so. This life is a gift and at any moment our life could be over.

Nothing about our lives comes from our own power. God gives us our life to live and He also gives us our finances, belongings, skills, people to love and gifts. Life and everything in it is precious.

God the Father gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him. God gave us the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name, to help us until Jesus comes again. Jesus told us He was leaving us a comforter – the Holy Spirit – and that the Holy Spirit would live in us. As believers who trust in Jesus, we know Christ died and shed his blood for our sins because we are lost sinners who deserve to go to hell. What a concept it is to comprehend - that part of God as the Holy Spirit lives in our bodies! Because of these facts, we know we must be pretty special. God must value us and love us so much because He gave His Son and gave us a comforter to dwell in us.

God has told us that we have a sinful nature, that we cannot be perfect and that He gave us free will. We have the power to choose what direction we go and what words we speak to others. Free will is a responsibility. We can choose and refuse to consider what God intends for our lives, thus being less fruitful. Or, we can choose and do what we know God intends for our lives. We are here to please God, to worship God and to love God, as well as share His story with others and bring them to know the salvation of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit lives in us. Consider what this means! God lives in us because we trust Jesus as Savior of our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells in our very hearts and bodies. If this does not humble us and bring us to our knees in thanksgiving and praise, nothing will!

So, in considering our lives in slow motion… before we breathe in, we say thank you, God for our very breath. That we take nothing for granted, we thank our Father in Heaven for our finances, family, loved ones, jobs, gifts and so much more! He gives us these things so that we can complete His mission in our life He has given us.

What, if anything, will we contribute from living our life - that has lasting impact - for our fellow human beings? What is our purpose in our daily walk in this life? Can we accomplish God’s purpose without God? No.

Every moment of every day we should know that we only live because God gives us that gift. If we surrender our life to God, He can do great things though us. Our will has to be to do the will of our Heavenly Father. Nothing in life is more important than the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If you give your life to God completely each day, He can use you to do His mighty work.

Your life, your gifts, your finances are all from God. If we put all of this in God’s hands and ask how we might better serve Him, and mean it, we will do God’s will. We cannot be part of the world’s system even though we live in it. We cannot value possessions, people, status or any thing more than God.

What could God use us to accomplish in our daily life? We might consider that He says to be still and know that He is God. So whatever you encounter in life, He is there to take you through it, to it or around it. He enables us. You may have to handle some hard situations or He could help you avoid those hard situations or He could remove you from the situation and call you home. If you share the gospel with others, their lives could be changed forever – and as born-again believers in Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity in heaven! What in life could be more important and fulfilling?

We must have the faith to let go and let God work through us. He will not let us starve and all we have to do is surrender our lives to Him and do great work! We can’t be lazy in our approach to life and we can’t partake in the activities of the world. We must watch, pray, fight for what is right, be patriots to our Constitution and worship with fellow believers. We have a lot to accomplish for God if we are in His will. We must slow down and realize our breath, steps and words come from God. More, than that we must comprehend what it means to have the Holy Spirit indwell in our very bodies. We must acknowledge Him, listen to Him and praise Him. The Holy Spirit gave men the Word of God in scripture, tells the truth, teaches, protects, brings teachings to remembrance, comforts, will testify of Jesus and glorify Him, helps with our infirmities and prays to God on your behalf, and He reproves the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit shows you things to come, anoints people to preach, guides, convinces, commands and more.

Knowing all this, as the Holy Spirit lives within each Believer, why would we lack faith to be able to accomplish great things for God? What could seem impossible to us? What worldly thing could conquer our enthusiasm and persecute us? Why would we be afraid of people or feel insecure sharing the gospel? Why would we care what any one person thought of us and be intimidated into running away from our mission?

It is a matter of faith and total surrender. Our life is not our own, so we should not act selfishly, as though we have some power separate from God to control our own destiny! Life is an adventure from God and we need to enjoy it, feel empowered by Him and do His will!

Watch, Pray and Share the Salvation Jesus Christ provides… work, as God leads in your life, and do not deny the gifts He has given you. You are enabled by the Holy Spirit to do great things for God. Be humble and stand firm. Be the candle that lights the night - and shows the way – not the candle hidden under the bushel.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow….!