Melting Snow???       A Word from THE WORD!!! #441

As the snows melt from the winter storms we have been having—much of the USA in fact—I thought a lot of things as I shoveled the walkways yesterday!  As I cleared the snow and ice away, there was still had a lot of snow and sleet covering my flowerbeds.  I decided to leave the snow on the beds so the moisture would seep into the ground (as we are super dry here in Oklahoma) to provide moisture for my plants.  I couldn’t help but think how God does the same thing in our lives—through His Holy Spirit and His Word!

“Be patient therefore, brethren,

unto the coming of the Lord.

Behold, the husbandman

waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth,

and hath long patience for it,

until he receive the early and latter rain.

8 Be ye also patient;

stablish your hearts:

for the coming of the Lord

draweth nigh.” James 5:7-8

Oh no, not the “P” word?  Patience is something we all have issues with—we live in a culture (a whole world) which wants its desires met immediately!  We have created a culture of “gim’me”, or more correctly put, give ME, now!  What I want, when I want it and in an unending continuum of provision at no cost and with no consequences.  It often seems that no one wants to work, or earn their own living, much less to be content with what they/we have.  And if I want what you have, I’m entitled to take it from you!  It makes my heart sad, as I think about how desperately we need the rain of conviction to come down from God upon our land.  I pray for the early rains and the latter rains of truth, grace, conviction unto salvation over our land.  How about you?

“Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field:

for the pastures of the wilderness do spring,

for the tree beareth her fruit,

the fig tree and the vine do yield

their strength.

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion,

and rejoice in the LORD your God:

for he hath given you

the former rain moderately, and he will cause

to come down for you the rain,

the former rain,

and the latter rain in the first month.

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat,

and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you

the years that the locust hath eaten,

the cankerworm,

and the caterpiller,

and the palmerworm,

my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty,

and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the LORD your God,

that hath dealt wondrously with you:

and my people shall never be ashamed.”   Joel 2:22:26

Israel had suffered the discipline of God for their faithlessness, yet He promised to restore them.  How? By sending the rain that would cause the land to bring forth abundant crops.   It is sad to me that most people around us make no connection between the elements of creation and the Almighty God who created all things through The Son Jesus.  (See Colossians 1:16, and John 1:1-3.) It is so important that we recognize that all we have comes from God, especially grace!  I am so grateful for the moisture that we received this past week (even if the freezing cold was not on my list of favorite things—but it was beautiful to look at, if not so nice to try to walk through) for we need the moisture.  How about you and me?  We need the spiritual rain from heaven—the work of God in our heart, soul and mind.  I am so grateful that God’s Word is replete with hope, joy and encouragement to refresh our heart, soul and mind!  Have you stopped to thank Him for the gifts in your life?  Or are you too busy complaining about what you don’t like, to see the goodness of God rained down upon you?

“Do not err, my beloved brethren.

17 Every good gift

and every perfect gift

is from above,

and cometh down

from the Father of lights,

with whom is no variableness,

neither shadow of turning.

18 Of his own will begat he us

with the word of truth,

that we should be a kind of firstfruits

of his creatures.

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren,

let every man be swift to hear,

slow to speak,

slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man

worketh not the righteousness of God.”  James 1:16-20

Firstfruits is an interesting word here, it goes back to the offerings and feasts which God gave to Israel, and the firstfruits was a praise offering to God in the expectancy and hope in God for a prosperous harvest to come.  Paul talks about this very thing and tells us that ‘we’ who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus’ substitutionary, atoning sacrifice are the picture of the harvest to come, are to be a picture to the world of the transformed life in Jesus, the firstfruits of the resurrection.  He arose and overcame sin, death and hell, and when we are born again into Jesus, we are a picture of the that very thing as we reflect to the world the life that Jesus gives to us at salvation.  It’s what Paul calls us to in his letter to the Corinthians church and the Galatian church.

“For since by man came death,

by man came also the resurrection

of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die,

even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order:

Christ the firstfruits;

afterward they that are Christ’s

at his coming.”  1 Corinthians 15:21-23

Paul gives us an admonition and instruction to live by Jesus’ power; it is how we need to be and do God’s will and be the reflection of our Lord; all through the watering of God’s Spirit in and on us.  As Zachariah spoke so long ago!

“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying,

This is the word of the LORD

unto Zerubbabel, saying,

Not by might,

nor by power,

but by my spirit,

saith the LORD of hosts.”   Zachariah 4:6

Paul tells us all how we can do that in this passage from Galatians.  We must live by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit!  How will you live today?  By the power of Jesus’ Spirit which dwells in all who are His, or by your own wisdom?  Even as Paul said to the Colossians long ago, “Christ in you, the hope of glory…”

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me.”   Galatians 2:20

Also, Romans 12, tells us how to have spiritual success in this life with Jesus.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren,

by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies

a living sacrifice,

holy,

acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed

by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is

that good,

and acceptable,

and perfect, will of God.

3 For I say,

through the grace given unto me,

to every man that is among you,

not to think of himself more highly

than he ought to think;

but to think soberly, according as God

hath dealt to every man

the measure of faith.” Romans 12:1-3

So, what is Paul calling us to?  He is calling us to present ourselves to God in our daily living.  To sacrifice our will for His!  To present ourselves daily to whatever God calls us to!  We are called to not exalt ourselves (remembering that we are created by God, not ourselves!), and to live in a way that does not conform to the world around us; but to be conformed to the image of Jesus (God’s work) by yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit who indwells each genuine believer in Jesus!

And in closing let’s consider a similar message from both James and Peter.  When we fix our mind on Jesus, it will help us to walk in the Spirit of Jesus instead of ourselves!  Paul’s message to the Galatian believers helps us to direct our life choices, and humbling ourselves before God is the way!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil

the lust of the flesh…

… 25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:16 & 25

“Humble yourselves

in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall lift you up.”  James 4:10

“Humble yourselves therefore

under the mighty hand of God,

that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him;

for he careth for you.”  1 Peter 5:6-7

I pray that we will humble ourselves before God, allowing Him to work in us, that we will be “conformed to the image of his Son”!!  All by God’s working in us through the power of HIS Spirit within us!  No Holy Spirit within?  Without the Spirit we don’t belong to Jesus!

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,

if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,

he is none of his.”  Romans 8:9

Do you belong to Jesus?  If so, we are called to walk (live) by His Spirit’s direction in our living.  If not, you don’t belong to Jesus.  Jesus said it best in Matthew 7.

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me,

Lord, Lord,

shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth the will of my Father

which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day,

Lord, Lord,

have we not prophesied in thy name?

and in thy name have cast out devils?  

and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them,

I never knew you:

depart from me,

ye that work iniquity.”  Matthew 7:20-23

I pray that we will let the rain of God’s work, Spirit and truth soak into our hearts and minds that we will truly be a reflection of Jesus to a lost and dying world.  Get into HIS WORD and listen to HIS Spirit that you can receive the refreshing of HIS rain!  Let it soak into your heart!!

Amen and Amen!!!