Waiting for the good gifts the Spirit gives
“ Waiting- Pentecost “ Acts 2:1-21
or Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 104: 25-35,37
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Wait Jesus told His disciples--- “ and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father.” They asked Acts 1:6---“ Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Why does waiting seem so hard? I think we have been conditioned to think of waiting as a trial, but I wonder. Is waiting God’s way of slowing us down, allowing us to be reformed into His way of thinking and His image? Acts 1:7 So the Lord answered them, “ And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power.”
I can think of some examples of waiting that show us how important this really is . When someone talks to us, do we form our answer before we have waited to hear what they are saying? Certainly a lot! So good communication does not take place if at all. Someone said in jest that “ Conversation (is) a vocal competition in which the one who is catching his breath is called the listener.” ( in Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening by Lindahl)
Today we focus on the Holy Spirit. He is God, just as the Father and the Son. He prays for us just as we learned last week that Jesus prays for us ( John 17:9). Romans 8:26 says the “Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” There is also something in that passage about waiting. We wait now for our final redemption. Now we have the first fruit, the Spirit. One day we shall know Him perfectly and be in His presence. Here we struggle and as the writer to the Romans says , we hope. And “ with patience wait” Romans 8:25
What are some of the good gifts we wait for in our lives? They do not just happen at once. This is called sanctification. It is the Spirit’s work in us. But it takes effort on our part to “keep in step with the Spirit” ( JI Packer wrote a book on the Holy Spirit and called it that) In Isaiah 11 we read a messianic verse that lists 7 gifts of the Spirit which we should all strive for in our Christian lives: “ And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
The first one is the most important---without the Spirit we would not have spiritual life. We must be born of the Spirit . So let us pray for the gift of the Spirit in our midst and in our circles.
Wisdom is another thing the Spirit gives . Wisdom is a word we do not hear very often. I associate it with older people but I have known some younger that are wise. Wisdom is listening and hearing what others have to say, but mostly it is learning by God’s grace to hear His voice in our daily lives and decisions.
Understanding- oh to be understood! All of us look for understanding. If only others could know our fears and our distresses, then maybe they would understand. To understand others is to be their friend.
The Spirit of counsel----when I speak to God, I want answers do I not? He always provides them but they are not always the ones I want to hear. Are there those in our midst who we can go to for counsel? I have found a few people only that I can go to for counsel. They are people who want to listen , who want to share their experiences with love and concern but are not overbearing.
The Spirit of might---we know that the Spirit works God’s way and so He is a Spirit of might. There is power. We see this on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit came “ from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind” Acts 2:2 The Spirit allowed the people there despite speaking different languages to be able to hear each other. God did that. The Spirit brings life . He did that in Ezekiel’s language of dry bones in ch. 37
How do we put the Spirit’s work into practice in our Christian lives? Daily practices----“ pray to God, every morning, every night, before and after meals, spend time each day in private prayer and spiritual reading; Weekly practices----dedicate Sunday as a day of personal renewal, become more committed to the work of the Body of Christ; Lifelong practices---cultivate a prayer life whose goal is the contemplation of God, make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.” “ Anglican Digest- Summer 2012”
The Spirit of knowledge. Knowledge about God, Knowledge about ourselves in God’s light ( self- awareness) and the application of it in our lives.
Lastly, the Spirit of the fear of the LORD. Without a holy fear of God in our daily living we are simply not following His direction and will. It is easy to fall into bad habits. We must look for ways to increase the Spirit’s influence in our lives by the practice of the things we have mentioned.
Practice wisdom and understanding, listen to others---be a counsel, listen for counsel, let God work His way as we wait under His call for new ways to implement His plan in our lives. Practice knowledge that God gives to us in His love and fear.
Blessings on Your Pentecost!
or Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 104: 25-35,37
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Wait Jesus told His disciples--- “ and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father.” They asked Acts 1:6---“ Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Why does waiting seem so hard? I think we have been conditioned to think of waiting as a trial, but I wonder. Is waiting God’s way of slowing us down, allowing us to be reformed into His way of thinking and His image? Acts 1:7 So the Lord answered them, “ And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power.”
I can think of some examples of waiting that show us how important this really is . When someone talks to us, do we form our answer before we have waited to hear what they are saying? Certainly a lot! So good communication does not take place if at all. Someone said in jest that “ Conversation (is) a vocal competition in which the one who is catching his breath is called the listener.” ( in Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening by Lindahl)
Today we focus on the Holy Spirit. He is God, just as the Father and the Son. He prays for us just as we learned last week that Jesus prays for us ( John 17:9). Romans 8:26 says the “Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” There is also something in that passage about waiting. We wait now for our final redemption. Now we have the first fruit, the Spirit. One day we shall know Him perfectly and be in His presence. Here we struggle and as the writer to the Romans says , we hope. And “ with patience wait” Romans 8:25
What are some of the good gifts we wait for in our lives? They do not just happen at once. This is called sanctification. It is the Spirit’s work in us. But it takes effort on our part to “keep in step with the Spirit” ( JI Packer wrote a book on the Holy Spirit and called it that) In Isaiah 11 we read a messianic verse that lists 7 gifts of the Spirit which we should all strive for in our Christian lives: “ And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
The first one is the most important---without the Spirit we would not have spiritual life. We must be born of the Spirit . So let us pray for the gift of the Spirit in our midst and in our circles.
Wisdom is another thing the Spirit gives . Wisdom is a word we do not hear very often. I associate it with older people but I have known some younger that are wise. Wisdom is listening and hearing what others have to say, but mostly it is learning by God’s grace to hear His voice in our daily lives and decisions.
Understanding- oh to be understood! All of us look for understanding. If only others could know our fears and our distresses, then maybe they would understand. To understand others is to be their friend.
The Spirit of counsel----when I speak to God, I want answers do I not? He always provides them but they are not always the ones I want to hear. Are there those in our midst who we can go to for counsel? I have found a few people only that I can go to for counsel. They are people who want to listen , who want to share their experiences with love and concern but are not overbearing.
The Spirit of might---we know that the Spirit works God’s way and so He is a Spirit of might. There is power. We see this on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit came “ from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind” Acts 2:2 The Spirit allowed the people there despite speaking different languages to be able to hear each other. God did that. The Spirit brings life . He did that in Ezekiel’s language of dry bones in ch. 37
How do we put the Spirit’s work into practice in our Christian lives? Daily practices----“ pray to God, every morning, every night, before and after meals, spend time each day in private prayer and spiritual reading; Weekly practices----dedicate Sunday as a day of personal renewal, become more committed to the work of the Body of Christ; Lifelong practices---cultivate a prayer life whose goal is the contemplation of God, make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.” “ Anglican Digest- Summer 2012”
The Spirit of knowledge. Knowledge about God, Knowledge about ourselves in God’s light ( self- awareness) and the application of it in our lives.
Lastly, the Spirit of the fear of the LORD. Without a holy fear of God in our daily living we are simply not following His direction and will. It is easy to fall into bad habits. We must look for ways to increase the Spirit’s influence in our lives by the practice of the things we have mentioned.
Practice wisdom and understanding, listen to others---be a counsel, listen for counsel, let God work His way as we wait under His call for new ways to implement His plan in our lives. Practice knowledge that God gives to us in His love and fear.
Blessings on Your Pentecost!
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