WHIRLING DERVISH OR CHAMPION
RACECAR DRIVER?
Two painters
were teamed up on a small six-foot scaffolding. I looked over, and my friend
Karen was ducking and trying to move away from the flailing arms of her
partner, Jill. Jill was high on meth and jumping erratically all over the
scaffold, arms and legs going in all directions. Sometimes we act like Jill. We
get ourselves going in so many directions that we aren’t moving forward, but
only whirling in circles.
Racecar drivers
take charge of their lives and move with determination and diligence. The
dictionary definition of diligence is “a constant and earnest effort to
accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.”
But we have to remember
that we can’t do this alone. If we want to be a racecar champion, all the human
effort we make is only empty religion and rules, if the Holy Spirit and the
Lord Jesus Christ aren’t involved in the process.
Jesus told the disciples:
“The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send, shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John
14:26).
How does walking by the Spirit
of God work? The Lord leads us to something that resonates in our hearts; we
connect with it, acknowledge it, and make up our minds to pursue whatever small
thing He’s asking. If He shows us a direction to take and we don’t listen, the
Lord will sometimes let us go ahead and do our own thing until we finally wear
out and come limping back to Him.
He’ll wait for us to wake
up and come back to where we left Him. The Holy Spirit reminds us to go back to
the idea He gave us before. Yep, the one we didn’t follow the first time He
told us. The Lord is patient. He’ll wait a long time for us to “remember,
whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26b).
Each person’s journey will
be different. John 16:13 tells us the Holy Spirit is present to guide us: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things.” WOW! How
awesome for the Spirit of God Himself to take the time to show things to each
of us, individually. That’s love.
Isaiah 48:6 says: “Thou
hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shown thee new
things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.”
How exciting and
fulfilling it is if we take the time in our frenzied lives to take notice of
what He’s doing for us and give Him some credit for it.
Job 8:7 tells us: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly
increase.” As we acknowledge the Lord in our daily lives, we grow spiritually,
and we see even more. Walking by the spirit starts with small things, then
expands.
Hebrews 11:6 says: “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” How
amazingly beautiful can the rewards be when they come from the Creator (Elohim)
of all things?!
Love, Carolyn
QUESTIONS AND EASY
CHALLENGES
1. What truth have you received
from the Lord lately that has resonated in your heart?
2. Describe a time when
you were going in way too many directions at once. How did it affect you?
3. If you think you might
be going in too many directions now, what is one small change you can make this
week to change that?
4. What good thing has
happened to you recently? Have you acknowledged the Lord for the blessing?
5. What verse gives us
hope that even though a beginning may be small, later it will be much more
significant?
6. Where does it say the
Lord will show us new things? Do you believe it?
Life lessons from the
Bible. Experience a wide variety of circumstances from the point of view of the
Bible. The stories will give you new insight into the spiritual forces behind
everyday events, both the forces of the true God and the forces of the adversary.
Learn practical ways to
listen more clearly to the Lord and the stories will show you how to walk more
intimately with Him. Gain the spiritual keys and weapons to be victorious in
every situation, God’s way.
USER-FRIENDLY BIBLE PRINCIPLES FOR
EVERYDAY LIVING: true life stories of how GOD works
to make an ordinary life extraordinary.
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