A Fraction Of God
We need the Holy Spirit–not only do we need the Holy Spirit–we need to understand His work and purpose in our life.
Last night God provided me today’s topic. It comes from a book I am reading, Praying The Promises: Anchor Your Life To Unshakable Hope, by Max and Andrea Lucado. Here’s what made me think, and also made me sad, very sad.
“Many believers settle for a two-thirds God. They rely on the Father and the Son but overlook the Holy Spirit. The Bible makes more than a hundred references to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said more about the Holy Spirit than He did about the church or marriage. In fact, on the eve of His death, as He prepared His followers to face the future without Him, He made this great and precious promise:”
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Two-thirds of God? How is that even possible? I mean, the bare minimum standard of God (the whole God) is daunting: “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2). What? My ESPN just kicked in again, and on a Monday. Someone just thought, “Oh, that’s Old Testament stuff. I’m a New Testament person.” OK, if that’s the way you feel, try this on for size, and it’s from Jesus, Himself: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 NLT)
See? It’s daunting, difficult, and downright IMPOSSIBLE! Why would God even expect us to be “perfect” if it can’t be done? That’s where that other one-third comes in–The Holy Spirit! But if you don’t know or understand The Holy Spirit, how do you get to “perfect”? Living with only a two-thirds god (notice, I used the lower case “g”!), how does one even get close to perfect? Well, here are some (poor, very poor) substitutes I’ve seen people use in a vain attempt to fill up that missing one-third:
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Sunday attendance at church
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Sitting in the same pew (that’s to make sure that God sees you)
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Giving some money to the church
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Able to recite The Lord’s Prayer without looking at the bulletin or screen
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Keep the same traditions–and oppose any changes
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Wear your finest clothes to church and frown on those who don’t
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Pick up from your church a “devotional booklet” and read it, sometimes
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Say a blessing before each meal
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(Here’s a good one:) Point out where others aren’t “holy” and “perfect”
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Align with a political party you think best follows what God wants
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Make sure no other person sees or hears you “sin”–after all, appearances are everything, right?
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And last, but not least (and this one is absolutely hilarious!) Trust your own intellect and abilities
I could go on with this list, but suffice it to say, my point is made–the one that Max and Andrea made in the book–We need the Holy Spirit–not only do we need the Holy Spirit–we need to understand His work and purpose in our life. What is that “work and purpose” in our life? Glad you asked! See the aforementioned passages–oh, let me reiterate them again:
“You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
“But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
New Living Translation
You and I need God, the WHOLE God and nothing but God–who comes to us through The Holy Spirit!
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P.S. (from bruce) When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !! If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ?? Here is the truth about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.com
To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…
Picture credit: https://www.google.com/search?q=image+we+need+the+Holy+Spirit&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjs7Z6UiZrzAhVyqHIEHXaxDHsQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=image+we+need+the+Holy+Spirit&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoHCCMQ7wMQJzoECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQzoICAAQgAQQsQM6BQgAEIAEOgYIABAIEB46BAgAEBhQxr0CWK2EA2DEiQNoAHAAeACAAYQBiAHaDZIBBDIyLjKYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=uw5PYaykC_LQytMP9uKy2Ac&bih=858&biw=1258&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS832US832#imgrc=GkwcuMzxKabioM
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About Godsmanforever
I present posts about God's Word, with a personal focus on how God's grace is received through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ... Sinners must understand and obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ... See this link for more...
https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/
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We commune with the Father THROUGH Jesus Christ but only if empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Father WILL speak to us, but we can only hear His voice if the Holy Spirit is within us bearing witness to His Spirit with our spirit! The Holy Spirit doesn’t demand praise or worship, the Word is clear about that, it is reserved for the Father THROUGH Jesus Christ, BUT we are to be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s council, guidance and leadership. After all, the only reason we HAVE the Holy Spirit within is because Christ Jesus Himself went away in His Glorified Body and thus sent His Spirit to dwell within us. These are fundamental basics of Christianity; YES we should know them by now!
Hebrews 5:12-13, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (NKJV) 👍💗✝📖🕊😇
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