"There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" Romans 5:3-5, The Message
So today we are concluding our look at this scripture in Romans. Our discussion of "passionate patience" turned into a discussion of joy - I'm looking at it as the same thing, I guess. The only way to have passionate anything is to have joy!!
Today I want to look at the last sentence in this passage. "We can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" The NIV version says this, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Last night we had revival at our church, and the evangelist shared from his depth the need for the Holy Spirit in our lives and our church. Man, it was good!! It's funny how God echoes through our lives. I teach a Bible study on Wednesday nights and in about a month we are going to start a series called "The Forgotten God," by Francis Chan. This study is on . . . the Holy Spirit. I just love it when God brings the pieces together!
It occurs to me that perhaps we don't understand even the basics of who the Holy Spirit is. I found a great, straightforward explanation at www.everystudent.com:
The Holy Spirit is not a vague, ethereal shadow, nor an impersonal force. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. Jesus said to His apostles...
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20)
God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And all the divine attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are equally ascribed to the Holy Spirit. When a person becomes born again by believing and receiving Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13; John 3:3-21), God resides in that person through the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit has intellect (1Cor. 2:11), emotion (Rom. 15:30), and will (1Cor. 12:11).
The Holy Spirit was given to live inside those who believe in Jesus, in order to produce God's character in the life of a believer. In a way that we cannot do on our own, the Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
I really can't say it any better - that's it! It's not a deep, probing explanation, nonsensical to basic thought. By the way, however, there is more information and scripture reference on the website; I used the basic for this space. I also highlighted the areas I want to discuss.
First, the Holy Spirit is a PERSON. He's not a shadow, a spirit in the way we may understand it - white, freaky, impersonal. (Although once you start thinking about all the Holy Spirit does for us - little freaky!) He is REAL. He has a purpose - to produce God's character in our lives. Those character traits are described, above, in Galatians 5:22-23, commonly known as the Fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has AUTHORITY. He is not a spiritual guide. He has all the power and authority of God.
Let's look at 1 Corinthians 2:9-16:
However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
We need the Spirit of God to help us understand the Character of God and the Sacrifice of His Son. The Holy Spirit ties it all together. If we do not have the Spirit of God we cannot understand the ways of God.
When we pray that God will send His Spirit to us, we are asking for a radical experience - but not one that you may understand now! You won't become a snake charmer - at least I don't think you will. ;0) But you will need to "round up containers" to hold all the blessings God will pour upon you. Because when you ask for the Spirit in your life, you are simply asking God to give you more of Him. And God is excited about that! He wants to pour Himself into our lives!! But once again, He won't go where He isn't welcomed.
So don't wait. Don't try to clean up your act first, before you welcome Him into your life. Go to Him now!! I promise you, God is the best housekeeper in the universe. HE will do the cleaning - you do the receiving! And that's it!! There's no more to it than that.
I think next week we will talk about the ways God does the cleaning. How He, for example, washes us whiter than snow. (Isaiah 1:18). But until Monday, remember - God's ways do not have to be unknown to you! Pray for the Holy Spirit in your life, and He will come!
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