Category: God & His Glory

The Coming of the Spirit 6

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

The Holy Spirit not only makes us God’s children giving us hope, but he also helps us in our daily lives.  Jesus calls him our Helper (John 14:16, 16:7).  Various translations translate the word Helper as Comforter, Counselor, or Advocate.  And he is all three.

The Spirit is our Advocate interceding before the Father for us (Romans 8:26-27).  The Spirit is our Counselor teaching us how to live (John 14:26, 16:13, II Peter 1:21).  The Spirit is our Comforter giving us peace in the midst of trials (John 14:26-27, Galatians 5:22).

The Spirit is there to help us.  We must simply look to him.  Are we in need of comfort and peace in the midst of trials?  We can look to our Comforter.  Are we in need of direction and counsel?  We can look to our Counselor.  Are we filled with cares and concerns?  We can look to our Advocate who will intercede for us.

We need not face life alone.  The Spirit has come to help us.  Let us look to him for the help we need.

The Coming of the Spirit 5

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

In the first four posts on the coming of the Spirit, the emphasis was on the Spirit’s work in us together as the church.  In the next four, we want to see how the Spirit works in us as individuals.

First, the Spirit makes us God’s children.  Romans 8:15-17 tells us that it is through the Spirit that we are adopted, it is through the Spirit that we call God our Father.  Because we are God’s children, we are heirs.  We have an inheritance.  One day we will receive resurrected glorious bodies like Christ’s resurrected glorious body (I Corinthians 15) – we will be co-heirs with Christ.  We will dwell in a new heaven and new earth where there will be no more pain or crying or death (Revelation 21:1-4).

Our response to this should be hope.  We have a great hope of a day when we will be with the Lord, and there will be no more sin, no more suffering, no more sickness, no more pain, no more death.  In the last week, an older man in our church passed away, and a young woman in our community passed away.  In the face of death, how we need this hope!

In the midst of trials and struggles – times of loss, sickness, surgery, family problems, and so much more, we can cling to our hope of a better day that is ours through the Spirit.  In the midst of good times that God blesses us with for our enjoyment, we can cling to the hope that even better days are coming through the Spirit.  In the face of our own deaths someday, we can cling to the hope that a day is coming when even death will be defeated and we will dwell in paradise with the Lord forever – all because the Spirit has made us God’s children.

Is this hope alive in us today?  Do we live in the good times and the bad times holding on to the hope of what God has prepared for us?  Or do we get so caught up in life today, that we forget our hope?  Our hope can give us strength and courage for today.  Our hope can clarify our priorities and motivate us to live for Christ in this life.  Are we living each day in light of our glorious hope?

The Spirit makes us God’s children and heirs of a great inheritance, and so we have hope.  Let’s live like it!

The Coming of the Spirit 4

On By BrianIn Church Life, God & His Glory

The Spirit comes and not only makes us part of his church, empowering us to minister and witness, but he also dwells among us.  I Corinthians 3:16 remind us that the church is God’s temple where his Spirit dwells.  As we gather together, the Spirit of God is among us.

Do we gather ready to enter his presence?  Are we even aware as we gather that God is with us?  How often are we like a poor host who neglects his guest?

The church is God’s temple where the Spirit dwells.  Temples are places of worship.  Do we gather not only recognizing his presence, but also ready to worship?  To submit our lives to his Word?  To bring our gifts to him?  To bring our cares before his throne?  To praise and honor him with our songs and our hearts?

The Spirit has come and dwells in his church.  As we gather, let us recognize his presence, bow down, and worship.

The Coming of the Spirit 3

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

The Holy Spirit makes us part of the church and empowers us to witness.  He also empowers us for ministry to one another.  We are not just called to serve one another, we are also empowered to do so.

In I Corinthians 12:4-7, Paul tells us that there are various gifts given by the Spirit for the common good of the church.  God empowers us with these gifts to serve one another.

Are we seeking his power as we minister.  Often I think we are tempted to serve in our own power.  Then only natural things happen.  But when God works, supernatural things happen.  Are we seeking God’s power?  Are we asking God to powerfully work through us for the good of his church and for his glory?

We need the Spirit’s empowerment.  May we seek it and serve in his power.

The Coming of the Spirit 2

On By BrianIn Church Life, God & His Glory

In the last post we saw how the Spirit empowers us to witness.  But the Spirit does much more.  In this post we want to see that the Spirit makes us part of his church.  Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:13 – “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”  When the Spirit comes into our lives at salvation, he baptizes us into the church; he makes us part of the Body of Christ. 

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus foretold the coming of the Spirit, telling the disciples that they would be baptized by the Spirit in a few days.  At Pentecost the Spirit came, and the church was begun.

The Spirit makes us part of the church.  We are no longer on our own.  We are related to Christ and to other Christians.  We are part of one body, one church, one family.  We cannot go it alone, trying to be a lone ranger Christian.  The Spirit has made us part of a family.

Paul goes on to apply this truth in I Corinthians 12.  He tells us that though different, each is important.  And we are to use our differences to serve one another.  We are to care for one another, coming alongside one another in the good times and the bad.

The Spirit made us part of the church, part of a family.  Are we serving and caring for others in our family?  How might we do so this week?

The Coming of the Spirit

On By BrianIn God & His Glory, Habit of Prayer

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus predicts the coming of the Holy Spirit.  He tells the disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).  The Spirit will come with power, and in that power they will witness.

We see this play out in next few chapters of Acts.  In Acts 2, the Spirit comes upon them, empowering them to speak different languages to share the good news with Jews from many nations.  In Acts 4, Peter is filled with the Spirit and boldly witnesses to the same people who had Jesus crucified.  Later in the same chapter, the church prays for boldness to witness, and the Spirit powerfully comes upon them, giving them boldness to declare the gospel.

The Spirit empowers us to witness – giving us boldness and courage.  It is of course also the power of the Spirit that changes lives, making our witness effective.  We need the Spirit’s help to witness.  Do we seek it?  Are we praying for the Spirit to give us boldness.  Are we asking him to change lives?

Living for God’s Glory 4

On By BrianIn God & His Glory4 Comments

Finally, let me share a few songs that challenge me to live for God’s glory.  First, an older song Dallas Holm used to sing:

“To the glory, the glory of God
To the marvelous glory of God
Every word, every breath
Every action, every step
To the glory, the glory of God”

And then a new song that got me thinking about this again, sung by Aaron Shust:

“To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for you
The glory is yours alone”

For the whole song and the video, click here.

May we seek to live every moment for the glory of God!

Living for God’s Glory 3

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

Isaiah makes several references to God’s glory.  Here are just a few:

“I am the LORD; that is my name, my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”  – Isaiah 42:8

“…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” – Isaiah 43:7

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” – Isaiah 43:25

“For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned?  My glory I will not give to another.” – Isaiah 48:11

God is jealous for his glory and will not give it to anyone else.  Are we jealous for his glory, or are we seeking our own glory?  The latter three verses all refer in context to Israel, but can easily apply to the true church as well.  That is, he made us for his glory, he forgives us for his glory, and he restores us for his glory.  Praise the Lord for this!  While we should seek to glorify God with our lives, even more does God’s work in our lives bring him glory.

To the glory of God!

Living for God’s Glory 2

On By BrianIn God & His Glory1 Comment

Here is a second quote on living for God’s glory from I Corinthians 10:31 –

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

The context of that verse is eating food offered to idols with the ideas of living to do what is helpful and builds up (v23), for the good of others rather than just ourselves (v24), and not offending others (v32).  So we live for God’s glory in part when we stop living for ourselves and start loving others.  That and “whatever you do” suggest that all of our lives can be lived for God’s glory.  Do all that you do in love for others to honor God.

To the glory of God!

Living for God’s Glory

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

Let me share a few quotes this week that call us to to live for God’s glory.  The first is from Psalm 115:1 –

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.”

How easy it is to live for our own praise, our own glory, but God calls us to live for his glory.  As we ponder his incredible love toward us through the cross and his faithfulness toward us despite our repeated failures, let us live to praise his name and honor him above all.

For the glory of God!