THE SPIRIT IN ACTION

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 01 November 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation focuses on the Holy Trinity and in particular the Holy Spirit in action. I’ve tried to “rattle our cages” a bit. Sometimes it a good idea to look at what we believe and see if it really makes sense to us.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 01 November 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE SPIRIT IN ACTION
The Holy Trinity: Father Son and Holy Spirit. The Three In One. Three persons – One God. If you understand this truth, please explain it to every other Christian in the World. How Three can be One and at the same time be separate? If I really understood it I’d be a super-genius. People have used a number of ideas in an attempt to illustrate this. One is an egg. It is one egg but it has a shell, a white and a yoke. It helps, but doesn’t describe our Infinite God adequately. Another I’ve come across is Water, Ice and Steam. Indeed they are the same substance, H2O. But this is also very inadequate. Another is; draw a circle and divide it up into three equal segments. Then imagine compressing it down to a minute dot, all three will be one. It boggles the mind a bit and may help some. Sadly, it doesn’t help me. Frankly, none of these ideas are completely helpful. What they do show is our inability to describe our Creator. If we could explain Him, He would not be God. Furthermore, such a description would enable us to concoct a mental impression of God. That would be an idol of our own making. It may be done for all the right reasons. But to our Lord, it would be an idol in the mind. As offensive to Him as building a golden calf and worshiping it. Something that has helped me is the fact that in the Bible we are told 8 But anyone who does not love, does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 NLT In order to love there must be someone to love. I suppose you can love a thing. But love is not really something you can do on your own. It takes at least two “people” for love to be real. If we take a ‘sideways” look at the same Scripture, we could conclude that God must be more than One or He could not love. So for God to be Love, there must be more than One. You may not like my logic, but it seems fairly clear that there must be at least “Two Persons in One” Of course with “Three in One”, love is not centred on one Person. Complete devotion to only one person could become a selfish relationship. So we’ve settled for the belief that God is Three Persons in One, committed to each other in a covenantal totally unselfish relationship! Now let me rattle all our cages? Could it be that there are more than three? Personally, I don’t think so. But when I read about the “Seven Spirits of God”, my theology gets a bit rattled. In the poem today, I’ve looked at Isaiah 11:1-8 and it sort of threatens my comfort zone! We are dealing here with the Infinite God so it doesn’t have to make sense. But I just may be “treeing” up the wrong “bark” if you follow what I mean. My late Dad would say, “It’s a ‘can-ack-a-ler’”. What’s that? An unanswerable question. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 TNIV 2 The life-giving Spirit of GOD will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-GOD. 3 Fear-of-GOD will be all his joy and delight. He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay. Isaiah 11:2-3 MSG 1 Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? Proverbs 8:1 ESV 4 (Wisdom says) "To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. 5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. 6 Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, Proverbs 8:4-6 ESV 14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. Proverbs 8:14 ESV 29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. Isaiah 28:29 ESV 5 If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault. James 1:5 NIrV 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways remember him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIrV	The gracious Holy Spirit! Isaiah clearly shows, How He will be recognised; so everybody knows, That this is nothing “spooky”. In fact, He’s rather grand! He will give us wisdom; He’ll help us understand, What our Holy God requires; so we can recognise That what we are looking at is Jesus in disguise! We need to know for certain that it is not a trick; Sent to us by Satan dressed up as someone slick. For He’ll bring us counsel and demonstrate the way, To walk with God Almighty, on each and every day. He will give us power. The strength that we all need, To walk in true obedience and not in selfish greed! His power will be gentle and yet as strong as steel. To do that which is proper and not just how we feel. Show the way to knowledge, that we may be equipped, To walk the Christian tightrope, without our being tripped! For wisdom goes with knowledge. You cannot separate, What one does for the other. Together they equate, To showing us the way to go when everything goes black; When we’ve been confronted by a spiritual attack. Knowledge gives us wisdom, to fear the Lord Most High. Without which, our foolishness, would cause us all to die. But we’ll be delighted, when we obey the Lord. Rejoicing in the Spirit where Jesus is adored. He won’t make a judgement by the way that we appear. Nor draw a conclusion from the rumours which He hears. He’ll make fair decisions and bring justice to the poor. If they have been cheated, they won’t have to endure, Wicked exploitation and find there’s no relief. All their persecutors will be treated like a thief. He’ll clothe the Messiah, with wisdom and with grace. Give Him the authority, to look in Satan’s face, And to overcome him by the power of God’s Word. Thus God’s Holy Spirit will be both seen and heard! He will bring God’s righteousness which Jesus will dispense. For that is what’s needed; it makes lots of sense. We can’t live for God the way that Jesus Christ requires. But with the Spirit’s filling we get our heart’s desires. Jim Strickland  Written 1st November 2012