Reflections From Sunday Evening

The Holy Spirit plays a huge role in our Christian life. Some basic points along this line remind us that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ and trust him as our Savior the Holy Spirit creates what we refer to as the New Birth. That means when we believe in Christ we are born of the Spirit. This is the entrance into the life of grace and sows eternal life in our soul. We do not believe that once a person professes faith in Christ that concludes the story. As a matter of fact we believe that "conversion" is but a first step in the Christian life. We immediately enter into a relationship with God where we will continually be transformed and renewed in the image of God. The Holy Spirit produces divine love in us. We are always experiencing the love of God growing in our lives and gradually we will be perfected in God's love. Contemplate that for a moment! The Holy Spirit also produces holiness in our life. There are more things taking place in our relationship with Christ that we attribute to the work of the Holy Spirit. We are being continually filled with the Spirit. Picture a river of living water that never runs dry. We are being continually filled with this river of life. The Holy Spirit is fashioning us in the love of God. We are filled with love. Our character is being formed. The fruit of the Spirit are becoming defining characteristics of our life. The Holy Spirit is producing holiness. With holiness comes the power of the Holy Spirit as we serve through various spiritual gifts that are given. The Spirit leads and directs our conduct as followers of Jesus. That should give you something to think about as you give thought to your Christian experience and how life in Christ is lived. Recently I thought about the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has power to change our lives. The Spirit gives grace and gifts. There is a power available that is astounding. This calls attention to an important point. Power without love and holiness is not something I want. Power with holiness and love will empower us to make a difference and do our part in transforming the world. With holy love the power of the Spirit is a wonderful thing. So receive the Spirit and continue to nurture God's love and holiness in your life. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve