But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:10-11 NIV)
Even though our physical bodies break down, God's Spirit somehow brings life to our mortal bodies. In other words, our spirit and newly transformed body are not the only part of us that is changed by God's Spirit. We are not just promised a new life once we leave this life. God gives life to our mortal body as well. God's Spirit brings us a new life today. Something has changed. Something is different.
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:24-25 NIV)
Every time we breathe, we should be reminded of God who gives us life, breath, and everything else. We should be reminded of our total dependence on God. We should be reminded that this dependence is a good thing. It gives us life and breath and everything else. When we walk together with God, it is a different life.
How about you? Are you ready to imagine life differently? Are you ready to imagine a life completely dependent on God and walking by God's Spirit? Are you ready to walk together with God?
Showing posts with label 15.2.1 - Breathe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 15.2.1 - Breathe. Show all posts
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Victory Over Death
I've seen so many doctor shows and movies over my lifetime. The hope in each of these shows is always the same: save the patient. Doctors not only "do no harm," they try their best to "help."
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 NIV)
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 NIV)
We are reminded, however, of the fact that we are not only flesh and bone humans. We also bear a spirit. Just like we bear the flesh and bone image of Adam, we also bear the spirit image of the last Adam: Jesus. The Holy Spirit is sent to us by Christ. It is His Spirit that dwells in us when we come home to the Father through the Son. But even before we receive the gift of Christ's Spirit, we have the breath of life within us. We have our own spirit - given to us by God.
I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:50-53 NIV)
This spirit within us (our own spirit) is what gives us hope of immortality. When it comes to our flesh and bone bodies, you see, the statistics are rather staggering. One in every one person still dies. Our bodies break down. Medicine has not overcome this reality. Our spirit, however, continues on. When we receive God's Spirit, God is letting us know that our spirit (and new, eternity-lasting, body) has a home prepared for it...with God. Death has no power over us because of our spirit...and God's.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NIV)
How about you? Do you know you have victory over death? Have you come home to the Father, through the Son, and received the Holy Spirit? Do you have victory over death?
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Creator God
Adam wasn't the only one who received the breath of life from the Spirit of God. Perhaps my favorite example of this kind of miracle comes form the book of Ezekiel.
He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet... (Ezekiel 37:3-10 NIV)
Boy I would have loved to have been a mouse in the field on that day. What a sight it must have been to see - a sight to see. Dry bones join together. Tendons and flesh grow on the bones. Then finally, with a dramatic pause, they receive the breath of life. I wonder what was going through Ezekiel's mind as it happened. It really was a sight to see.
The same Spirit that hovered over the waters of the deep also created the heavens and the earth. That same God still holds all things together. That is the same Spirit that breathed into Adam the breath of life. That same Spirit of God turned dry bones into living, breathing, human beings.
He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet... (Ezekiel 37:3-10 NIV)
Boy I would have loved to have been a mouse in the field on that day. What a sight it must have been to see - a sight to see. Dry bones join together. Tendons and flesh grow on the bones. Then finally, with a dramatic pause, they receive the breath of life. I wonder what was going through Ezekiel's mind as it happened. It really was a sight to see.
The same Spirit that hovered over the waters of the deep also created the heavens and the earth. That same God still holds all things together. That is the same Spirit that breathed into Adam the breath of life. That same Spirit of God turned dry bones into living, breathing, human beings.
"Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!' Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it." The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. (Habakkuk 2:18-20 NIV)
How about you? Are you in awe of the Spirit of God? Are you ready to stand in silence before the Spirit of God?
How about you? Are you in awe of the Spirit of God? Are you ready to stand in silence before the Spirit of God?
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Breath of Life
God's Spirit did not just "speak" all things into existence and hover over the waters of the deep. Only one chapter later, we find the Spirit of God at work in creating the first man.
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:5-7 NIV)
God breathed into the first man the breath of life. God breathed into you the breath of life. When you received the breath of life for the first time, you cried. The people in the room considered that a good thing. It meant you were alive. Every moment of every day, you continue to breathe the breath of life. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now.
I'm not sure how our bodies what to do, but they just know. Prior to this discussion, you probably didn't think about your breathing. Your body just does it "automatically." While you were sleeping last night, your body just did it all by itself. You did two things at the same time. You slept and you breathed. Even today, you are breathing automatically.
Your body knows to move your diaphragm to open up the lungs and pull air in. It also knows how, at the microscopic level, how to transfer oxygen out of the air in your lungs into your bloodstream where it is needed. Your body also knows how to take carbon dioxide, which your body considers a poison and a waste, and move it into the air currently in your lungs. Then, your body knows how to push the diaphragm and push the air out with its additional poisonous contaminates. You don't even have to think about it. You just breathe.
When we were born, we received from God the breath of life. We continue to receive this gift from God every moment of every day. Whenever you breath, you can remember God. Whenever you take a breath, you can remember that God wants to give you life.
How about you? Do you remember the gift of God every time you take a breath? Do you know that God wants to give you life? Do you thank God for giving you the breath of life?
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:5-7 NIV)
God breathed into the first man the breath of life. God breathed into you the breath of life. When you received the breath of life for the first time, you cried. The people in the room considered that a good thing. It meant you were alive. Every moment of every day, you continue to breathe the breath of life. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now.
I'm not sure how our bodies what to do, but they just know. Prior to this discussion, you probably didn't think about your breathing. Your body just does it "automatically." While you were sleeping last night, your body just did it all by itself. You did two things at the same time. You slept and you breathed. Even today, you are breathing automatically.
Your body knows to move your diaphragm to open up the lungs and pull air in. It also knows how, at the microscopic level, how to transfer oxygen out of the air in your lungs into your bloodstream where it is needed. Your body also knows how to take carbon dioxide, which your body considers a poison and a waste, and move it into the air currently in your lungs. Then, your body knows how to push the diaphragm and push the air out with its additional poisonous contaminates. You don't even have to think about it. You just breathe.
When we were born, we received from God the breath of life. We continue to receive this gift from God every moment of every day. Whenever you breath, you can remember God. Whenever you take a breath, you can remember that God wants to give you life.
How about you? Do you remember the gift of God every time you take a breath? Do you know that God wants to give you life? Do you thank God for giving you the breath of life?
Monday, May 25, 2015
Spirit
When I was growing up, I was part of a church that prayed a little differently than I do today. Today, I usually find myself ending a time of prayer "In Jesus' Name." Back then, we prayed everything in the "Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It was an important reminder that God is Three Persons, but One God. I still see this in the descriptors of God today.
When I look at Scripture, though, I find many more descriptors of God than just Father, Son and Spirit. YHWH (Yahweh, or Jehovah) is the most common Old Testament description. God is also described as Creator, Redeemer, Ruler, the one who sets captives free, and much, much, more. We cannot describe, much less comprehend, and infinite God.
While I was preparing for this series, I looked up some of these descriptors. I also looked up the "big three" of Father, Son, and Spirit. I was a bit surprised with what I found. You see, I know Jesus was prophesied about throughout the Old Testament and discussed freely in the New Testament. We had done a series on the Son last summer. Many, many Scriptures point to the Son. When I think of the Father, I think about God sitting as King in on His Throne, with angels and saints singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord." I think of God the Ruler. I also think about God the Father who receives prodigal children home with open, loving arms even though they do not deserve the Father's love. None of this surprised me. Here was the surprise. The term "Father" is only used a few times and the word "Son" is never used in the Old Testament to describe God.
The word "Spirit," however, is used consistently all the way through the Scriptures to describe our infinite God. This makes sense when you think about it. It's hard to imagine God in the flesh being everywhere at the same time, but it's easy to imagine a Spirit being that way. It's hard to picture a Father or a Son living forever in the past, but Spirit can easily make the trek into past eternity. Spirit is the most common descriptor of the three throughout Scripture...starting back in the very beginning.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV)
When I look at Scripture, though, I find many more descriptors of God than just Father, Son and Spirit. YHWH (Yahweh, or Jehovah) is the most common Old Testament description. God is also described as Creator, Redeemer, Ruler, the one who sets captives free, and much, much, more. We cannot describe, much less comprehend, and infinite God.
While I was preparing for this series, I looked up some of these descriptors. I also looked up the "big three" of Father, Son, and Spirit. I was a bit surprised with what I found. You see, I know Jesus was prophesied about throughout the Old Testament and discussed freely in the New Testament. We had done a series on the Son last summer. Many, many Scriptures point to the Son. When I think of the Father, I think about God sitting as King in on His Throne, with angels and saints singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord." I think of God the Ruler. I also think about God the Father who receives prodigal children home with open, loving arms even though they do not deserve the Father's love. None of this surprised me. Here was the surprise. The term "Father" is only used a few times and the word "Son" is never used in the Old Testament to describe God.
The word "Spirit," however, is used consistently all the way through the Scriptures to describe our infinite God. This makes sense when you think about it. It's hard to imagine God in the flesh being everywhere at the same time, but it's easy to imagine a Spirit being that way. It's hard to picture a Father or a Son living forever in the past, but Spirit can easily make the trek into past eternity. Spirit is the most common descriptor of the three throughout Scripture...starting back in the very beginning.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV)
How about you? Do you try to imagine an unimaginable God? Do you picture God as Father? as Son? as Spirit? Are you ready to expand your picture of the Spirit of God?
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