Monday, July 1, 2013

Jesus Changes Everything

Week Two        Spiritual Growth
Day One           Sealed

     When I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s I pictured God the Father as an old man with a long white beard sitting on a throne somewhere high above the clouds. For some reason He was watching whenever I did something wrong.  A completely different picture was placed in my heart about Jesus and that picture never left me, even when I left Him for a period of time. Jesus was my friend. We sang, Jesus Loves the Little Children, All the Children of the World, and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. The watercolors and drawings of Him looked just like some of my friends:)

     The Holy Spirit was rarely talked about in our small Lutheran congregation and when it was brought up we called Him, “The Holy Ghost.” Sounded a little spooky to me. Maybe you are not familiar with the Holy Spirit of God. We will be looking into the way the very Spirit of the living God comes to live within us and how He helps us to grow in the things of God. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and understanding in a much different way than the world around us. It may seem impossible to shut out all of the noise, busyness and voices around you and grow from within, but let’s stick together over the next few weeks and see what happens.

     For today, tuck this verse in your back pocket and take it out and think about it. When we begin our journey of faith, when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and begin a new life, we gain this:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possessions-to the praise of His glory.  Ephesians 1:13-14  (NIV)

     We are sealed with the Holy Spirit and nothing can ever separate us again from our God. I pray your soul finds great peace in that. We are sealed forever as His precious children and we will live with Him eternally. We can live differently today and every day. Let’s dig in a little deeper this week and see what the Holy Spirit will do with us. When your eternity is secure, there is no more fear of death. And with no fear of death, we can really begin to live!

Dear Father,
Help us to understand the amazing Holy Spirit living within us. Teach us Your wisdom and understanding even in the midst of chaos around us. Give us the peace that passes all understanding. You guarantee us eternity. Let that ring in our hearts today.
In Jesus (our friend) we pray.

Amen

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