Feelings, Emotions and the Purpose of the Holy Spirit
Good Morning Friends,
How do you respond when confronted with a lion…a lamb? Of course the context makes a difference but there is a physical response within us for each. Here the awareness of our surroundings can prompt powerful short term emotions inside of us that we need to interpret correctly in order to have the right response…here we need to retain our self-identity as part of the Body of Christ in the dance of Feelings, Emotions and the Purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture: Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-21 (NRSV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you
free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’
it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8.1-17 (NRSV)
Message: It is important that our emotions help create in us lasting feelings that perpetuate our existence in relationship one with another.
Let me say this at the onset, we must feel the Spirit but it is not the same as having emotions, feelings or thoughts that are positive. That is only part of it. The Spirit is caught up in our experience of Jesus as we learn to know and to love him and be loved in the truth of who he is and who He wants us to become in relationship with each other. Therefore the Holy Spirit it is caught up in each act of faith we do with love. By the Spirit’s very nature it is witness to growth. By its very nature there is some tension in the experience that helps us to learn how to receive, recognize and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit the more. It is here in the Spirit we join in the dance and singing of the Trinity as we grow into a more mature relationship with God. Part of this experience is learning to be subject to one another out of reverence to God. Here recognizing the Spirit at work helps us to learn and grow. When we join in fellowship sharing the joy in our hearts and yes, when we are willing to suffer with Jesus so that we may also be glorified with him that is the Holy Spirit. Part of being in the Holy Spirit is being thankful and part of it is in making the most of the time we have by not only following the Holy Spirit but in guiding others as we have been guided. Oh we do need someone to guide us in the way…to help us understand what is required. Often this means learning to choose what is more difficult in order to complement the purpose of God. Friends, there are only two ways to live life, either in the flesh or in the Spirit. If the Spirit of God dwells in a person we need to be careful that nothing in our thoughts or feelings offend the divine quest. Friends, the Spirit is patient; the Spirit is kind; the Spirit is not envious of boastful or arrogant. When we are faithful, generous, kind, patient, peacemakers and joyful we witness to the commitment we have made as Christians and the Spirit of truth and love in us. To trust the Spirit is an excellent and powerful way of showing our love. After all if we are trusting Jesus for our eternal salvation why would we not trust the Holy Spirit with the activities of our life.
Pray we recognize the Holy Spirit. Pray we connect to the power and purpose of Jesus by choosing surrender over compliance… fellowship over isolation. Pray we choose honesty over pretense. Pray we invest in the journey of the moment now while not losing sight of the destination. Pray we value transformation more than information. Pray we invest in the corporate body not just the self. Pray we be grace-filled more than judgmental. Pray we take personal responsibility rather than blaming others. Pray we be willing to give away rather than hold on to things. Pray we realize that choosing to be powerless rather than controlling allows the Holy Spirit to act in and through us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 