Kindess and Compassion

"I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23

I don't know about you, but this Bible verse would seem unnerving to me unless I knew who was directing my steps and why. My dear friend Maegan in DC wrote a great piece about this (and many other good topics): The Gap.

The Holy Spirit is, often, a difficult subject to discuss because on one hand, His work in our lives is undeniable but on the other hand, incomprehensible. This combination can be confusing and just easier left undiscussed. Another alternative is to define the Holy Spirity according to His roles and responsibilities within the Trinity, and yet the Holy Spirit doesn't just have a job to do in our lives, He has relationship to offer.

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? I've been going through a study ("Living Beyond Yourself" by Beth Moore) that's asking this exact question. Beth Moore explains it this way:

"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

The Hebrew word for hovering means to "flutter, move, shake." Essentially, the Spirit is the Enegizer, "applying the power and energy of the Godhead to the act of creation."

He applies this power and energy of God through seven ministries:

1. To convict or reporve. It is not MY job to convict of sin. Thank God!!!
2. To regenerate. (John 3:7)
3. To baptize (I Corinthians 12:13)
4. To indwell. (Colassians 1:25-27)
5. To seal. (Ephesians 4:30)
6. To fill. (Ephesians 5:18)
7. To restrain (2 Thessalonians 2:6-12)

All of these begin through regeneration, when a person responds to God, much like CS Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Desiring true, fulfilling satisfaction, a person recognizes that s/he was created to be loved in a way that NO person and NO thing can satisfy. It's beyond ourselves to satiate. Then inviting God to satisfy that desire. And He does. Just be prepared, it NEVER looks the way we think and plan for. If it turned out the way we wanted it, then we wouldn't need Him in the first place, we'd be able to seek and to find that satisfaction on our own.

Number 6, "to fill," is NOT, though, guaranteed to happen every moment for the rest of a believers life. Ephesians 5:18 tells believers to "be filled with the Spirit." Implying that an action must be taken on behalf of the believer in order for that filling to happen.

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire;" Thessalonians 5:19

The Greek word is sbennumi, meaning "quench" - to dampen, hinder, repress, as in preventing the HOly Spirit from exerting His full influence." The opposite of Spirit-filled, then, isn't Spirit-absent but Spirit-repressed. Saying "no" to God when He guides you. Remember, if we truly KNEW the path to finding and fulfilling our need to be loved TRULY, we wouldn't need Him in the first place!

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30

The Greek word lupea, "grieve" means "to afflict with sorrow, to cause grief, offend." ....to break his heart. Sin that has taken root in our lives, attitudes, thoughts, actions that are full of bitterness and anger instead of love, kindness, and compassion (Ephesians 4:31) grieve the Holy Spirit.

The most exciting part for me is that the Holy Spirit's presence and work in my life doesn't just change my life, He brings change NOW, today. He helps me restrain from thoughts and attitudes resulting from anger, irritation, selfishness that often lead to more pain and frustration for me. Have you experienced the TRANSFORMING work of God through the Holy Spirit? It's a taste of someone beyond yourself. It's a glimpse of the person you were created to be, who, by His work, you are becoming.