Tag: Filled with the Spirit

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Exodus Devotions

Let everything I do…

worship

Everyone whose heart was moved and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the Lord. (Exodus 35:21)

Moses then said to the Israelites, “Look, the Lord has appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

He has filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability…” (Exodus 35:30-31)

Father, let everything I do for you be from my heart. Not obligation. Not duty. Not others’ expectations of me. But from a heart that has been touched by your love and grace and is filled with gratitude.

So often I see mixed motives in myself. Help me to give my whole heart to you.

Father, you have appointed me by name.

I’m weak. I often feel inadequate. And yet you appoint me by name.

Fill me with your Spirit. Fill me with wisdom, understanding, and the ability to do what you’re asking of me.

Without you, I can do nothing. With you, I can bear much fruit. And I want to bear much fruit for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Numbers Devotionals

Spiritual babies

Numbers

It strikes me just how childish the Israelites were in this passage.

The Israelites wept again and said, “Who will feed us meat? We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6)

“Free fish.”

Yeah, I suppose if you consider working as slaves, and being beaten down physically and mentally every day no problem, the fish in Egypt was free.

Here God provides for their needs daily, and all they can do is cry like babies.

That’s certainly how Moses saw them as he started his own whining.

“Why have you brought such trouble on your servant? Why are you angry with me, and why do you burden me with all these people?

Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so you should tell me, ‘Carry them at your breast, as a nanny carries a baby,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?

Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are weeping to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’

I can’t carry all these people by myself. They are too much for me.

If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now if I have found favor with you, and don’t let me see my misery anymore.” (11-15)

And when God promises meat for a month for the Israelites, Moses, despite seeing manna drop out of the sky day by day, whines about the impossibility of it all.

To which God replies,

Is the LORD’s arm weak? Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you. (23)

And he does exactly as he promised.

I wonder: How often do we members of the church act like spiritual babies, making our pastors and leaders act like baby sitters?

How much of a burden do we put on them by our selfish attitudes?

And how often do we as pastors and leaders get frustrated because we are trying to carry the burden of leadership by ourselves.

All we can see is the immaturity of our people, and we start acting childish ourselves by wasting our time complaining to God about them.

What does the church need?

We don’t need people acting like spiritual babies. We need people filled with God’s Spirit.

We need Spirit-filled leaders who do not simply complain about the lack of maturity on the part of their people (spiritual babies though they may be), but leaders who pray that God would fill their people too.

We need leaders who train the people in their care to use the gifts God has given them.

And we need people who don’t burden the leadership through their constant complaints, but who through God’s Spirit support the leadership by doing their part in ministry.

The body of Christ is not, or at least should not be top heavy with the leaders doing all the work and all the rest just taking in food like a baby.

Rather each person, filled with the Spirit, should be fulfilling the roles and tasks that God has given them.

In that way, we will

all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.

From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

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Ephesians

How we walk

Ephesians

One thing that strikes me is how often Paul uses the word “live” in this passage. I like how the ESV (among other translations) translates it “walk.”

“Walk in love.” (Ephesians 5:2)

“Walk as children of light.” (5:8)

“Be careful then how you walk.” (5:15)

In other words, each step we take in life should be taken in the knowledge of God’s love for us, and with that love flowing through us.

Each step we take should be as children marked by the light of God.

And as we take each step in life, we are to watch where we are going and where our choices are leading us.

Paul basically sums up all he has been saying so far by saying,

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

In other words, let’s not be stupid. Before, we used to live a life that was leading us to eternal death. Let’s not go back to that path. And don’t partner yourself with people going along that path.

That is not to say that we are to disassociate ourselves with non-Christians, but that we are not to so tie ourselves to them that they can influence us. We are to be the influencers, not the influenced.

And twice Paul says, “Find out what’s pleasing to the Lord.” (10, 17)

Again, though, I want to stress that Paul was writing, not simply to individual Christians in the church, but to the church as a single body.

And he was saying, “All of you as a church, need to be wise. What are you as a church doing? Are you using your time wisely? Make the most of every opportunity that you have as God’s church here on earth.”

But so many times, the church isn’t. Instead of being light in the darkness, we join in with the darkness. We partner with this world in its sin.

Or just as bad, we start tearing into each other, biting and devouring each other with bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness.

And Paul says, “Do away with all that. That isn’t God’s will for you as a church. When you do those things, you act as fools. You’re wasting time. Don’t do that. Instead, know what God’s will is for you as his body.”

What is his will?

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-21)

So many times, we see this phrase, “Be filled with the Spirit,” and think of it merely in terms of individual Christians being filled with God’s Spirit. But Paul is saying, “You, the church, are to be filled with the Spirit.”

Probably the greatest need of the church is to be filled with the Spirit of God. Instead too many churches are filled with greed, division, and envy.

How much different would this world be if God’s church were instead filled with the Spirit of God, living in his power and under his control.

How much different would this world be if God’s church were so filled with the joy of the Spirit, that they were singing words of encouragement to each other rather than tearing each other apart.

And how much different would this world be if instead of being filled with envy and division, people were giving respect where respect is owed, and honor where honor is owed, submitting to those God has called us to submit to out of our reverence for Christ?

Is this how we’re walking? As a church? As individual members of Christ?

How are you walking?