Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Are You Someone Who Cooks or Someone Who Loves to Cook?

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Another excellent Bible study today using the book “Encounter the Spirit” by Carolyn Moore.

Moore noted that there is a difference between someone who cooks and someone who IS a cook.

Many of us cook because we are hungry and need to eat in order to live. We probably know little about the vocabulary of good food. We often buy products that are quick to put together, just wanting to get something on the table at the end of the day for our family to eat. We cook because we need to eat.

Then there are those who love to cook. They enjoy trying new recipes, experiencing with different spices. They get joy by sharing their meals with others. They cook because it brings them happiness. My youngest daughter is one of those who love to cook. Any time she hears of someone that is sick she quickly makes a meal to share with them. She is a pastor, and she often bakes treats for Bible studies she leads or for any time of gathering the church may have. Her cupcakes are not just a cupcake. She tries different ingredients and decorates them in different themes.

RIP cookies for a Halloween school party
Muffins with marshamallow, Hershey candy bar and so delicious!

So it is with our Christian walk. We can be someone who follows Jesus or we can be someone who LOVES FOLLOWING Jesus.

Jesus said in John 15:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

Someone who tries to keep His commandments because that is what a Christian is supposed to do. Or, someone who follows His teaching out of a heart of love for Him.

More importantly, we can be people who are full of God’s joy – and love sharing that joy with others. We can seek to allow God’s Spirit to overflow from us to those we meet who are struggling with a difficult time in their lives and need that joy we can share.

My prayer is:

“Lord, help me to truly love you and follow you in gratitude for all you have given me. Help me to obey you out of a heart of love for you and not out of some sense of duty. There are so many who are in need. Open my eyes to see them. Show me how I can help. You have given me many resources. Help me to use all that you have given me to help others. Use me to draw them to you.”

Please join me this Lent season in this prayer.

I’m Still Growing! How About You?

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The women’s weekly Bible study I attend is currently studying a small group guidebook called “Encounter the Spirit” written by Carolyn Moore. Each week’s study has a portion called “encounter” in which Moore offers ideas for applying what we have studied that week.

Since I am soon turning three-quarters of a century, I found her suggestions for thought very interesting.

She talks about how we plan for the future. Questions she presents are:

  • What will I be when I grow up?
  • What kind of job will I get next?
  • How will my children grow up?
  • What will retirement look like?

Looking at those questions, I realize I already have answers for those.

  • At almost 75 I think I can say I am grown up (although I still may not always act like it).
  • I am not looking for another a job.
  • My children are in their 40’s and 50’s so I can see how they have grown up.
  • Now in my eleventh year of retirement, I know what that looks like.

Still, applying planning for the future in a spiritual sense, her questions have me really taking a deeper look at my spiritual life. Even in this last stage of life, I desire to grow up spiritually.

Some things for me (and hopefully you will also) to ponder are:

  • Where do I want to be spiritually in six months?
  • How do I want to use the spiritual gifts God has given me to bless others?
  • How can I grow closer in my relationship to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Although I have grown up physically and my body is beginning to let me know that this life on earth is coming to the final chapter (don’t mean to sound morbid, I plan to stick around for quite a while yet), we have been designed for eternity. That tells me there is much more growth for me spiritually and mentally.

Join me in this journey of ever seeking to know more of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and grow more like Jesus each day.

Is Change Possible?

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A few years ago I saw a lot of bumper stickers that said, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”

At first glance, that sounds good. The person displaying that is recognizing that they are not better than someone who is not a Christian. It implies perhaps humility and a non-judgmental attitude toward others.

But I have never been comfortable with that. To me, it implies the only difference between a Christian and a non-believer is one has been forgiven and the other has not.

But is that really why Jesus came, suffered and died and rose again? So we could be forgiven. That’s it. The cross is just a “get out of hell” card.

Jesus said we were to be the “salt” and the “light” of the world. We may have different ideas what it means to be the salt and light of the world. Clearly, though, it indicates we are to be different than our culture. Different than others. Not in a “I’m better than you” attitude but in recognition that following Jesus should change us. One of our purposes of being “light” He said was that our life would bring glory to Him. That can only happen if our encounter with Him changes us.

But is change possible? Is being like Jesus an impossible task?

I would say while we can never be completely like Jesus in this life, it is a goal we should pursue. While we will probably never reach the point where we can say “I never sin” we must strive to not give in to sin with the excuse “I’m not perfect, just forgiven.”

The disciple John told us “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus has promised us help with this battle we fight. He said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

God promises to both forgive us and to change us.

It is an ongoing process – and we will never be free of failures in this life – but we must not so easily give in to our temptations with that attitude – “I’m not perfect, just forgiven.”

The Tabernacle of Old Testament and Our Worship Today

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In our daily devotions my husband and I have been reading the book of Exodus. It was interesting to me to see that when the Israelites were delivered from bondage in Egypt God chose to not lead them directly to the land He had promised them. Rather, he led them into the wilderness.

When Pharoah finlly let the people go, God did ot lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine terriroty, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land….God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Exodus 13:17-18.

There, in the wilderness, God gave them two things they needed to become the nation He desired.

  • The Tabernacle – unifying symbol of God’s presence with principles of worship
  • The Tablet (Ten Commandments) – principles of God for personal practices of a godly life reflected in our behavior

Since much of the Old Testament is devoted to the Tabernacle I have decided to take a closer look at this structure and what it meant to the Israelites, what it might mean to us in our understanding of the importance of worship of God.

First thing that caught my attention was the preparation to build the Tabernacle.

  • Materials required: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple and scarlet thread, fine linen, gemstones and more. Exodus 25:3-7
  • Voluntary offering: it was not demanded but rather was to be given by those “whose hearts are moved to offer them.” Exodus 25:1-2
  • Both men and women were involved in the giving and preparation. Exodus 35:22; 35:25-26
  • The leaders set the example in giving. Exodus 35:27-28
  • The Holy Spirit was present and filled the workmen. Exodus 35:31-35

Looking at what was involved in the preparation to build the Tabernacle, I thought how that applied to our attempts to be involved in the church today.

  • As the materials required were things of great value, so should be our efforts for God. We should bring Him our best. Sadly, I fear we do not. Too often we spend our days working, playing, filling our time with our own needs/wants/desires. Then at the end of the day we fall into bed and quickly murmur a prayer to God. We often neglect gathering with the family of God to worship Him and encourage and be encouraged by others. We often give Him what is left of our time/talent/money after we have met all our wants/needs.
  • Yet our worship, our efforts for Him should never be done because it is demanded. It must come from a love of God.
  • Sadly, for years many have restricted women from fulfilling their God-given call. Yet we see Jesus often ministering to the women. It was a woman who carried the message of the Messiah to the Samarian village. It was a woman who Jesus first appeared to after His resurrection.
  • I am thankful that in my church our pastor sets an example of selfless service to others. But sadly we have often see ministers who have set themselves above the rest of God’s family.
  • The Holy Spirit was present in these men to make furniture, to build the Tabernacle. Again, we have often made the work of the Spirit to mean something “supernatural.” God often uses us in “natural” gifts like baking a meal for a family suffering illness, fixing a car for a single mother, babysitting to give a couple a night out. God’s Spirit is given for more everyday, ordinary people and we need to recognize this.

Why did God tell them to build the Tabernacle? What was His purpose?

Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. Exodus 25:8

What a wonderful thought! God desired to live among them. Later when Jesus came John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus came to dwell among us. The Greek word used for dwell in John 1:14 is skenoo and literally means “to pitch a tent. This word is the very word used in the New Testament to refer to the tabernacle of God used by Israel in their early worship of God. Jesus came because God still desires to live among us.

Jesus told us that wherever two or three gathered in His name, He would be there. So when we come into church on Sunday, He is there. Do we realize that? How often we come in late, grabbing our coffee, looking around to see who is there, talking to the one next to us? Do we not realize we are entering the presence of God? He is there. Let our worship show we acknowledge that.

I will be writing more as I study this Old Testament Tabernacle. Hope you will follow me on this journey.