.
A Gentle Spirit
.
Pastor
Jeanne Stewart, Oklahoma
.
Touching Lives
The
journals I have kept now for twenty years are full of precious times of tender
closeness between my heart and my Father God. Often I am suddenly awakened with
a gentle prompting to get up and spend some much-needed time alone with Him and
just listen and write in the silence before the day’s dawn.
The
Holy Spirit stirs me with alertness and I know to move quickly. Many times it
would be so easy to just roll over and go back to sleep, but I have learned
through the years to seize these valuable times. It is an honor to be chosen
for such a relationship in God’s grace as an intimate friend. His words and
loving ways are shown to me, to touch the lives of others. The time I give to
Him now … embraces eternity.
If we
do not take the time from all the busyness in our lives for what truly matters
for His Kingdom, then in reality I ask you, what really matters in life? God is
ALL love and is acquainted with everything about us, yet He continues to pursue
us. He so cares for us to desire our time with Him that He whispers our worth
into our listening ears. Each one of us can truly sense individually that we
are His favorite, without feeling competition among His children.
Lives That Reveal His Love
One
day Jesus asked His disciples the question, “Who do men say that I the Son of Man am?” (Matthew 16:13) At this
point of nearly three years of ministry His followers told Him: “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah and
others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14)
These
answers showed what they thought was seen and revealed through the eyes of
religious error and the confused expectations of men. But Jesus was seeking to
find from this next generation of His church, leaders whose spirits were in
tune individually to the prompting
and lessons of the Holy Spirit.
He
then asked them, “But who do you say that
I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
Jesus’
question brought their thoughts to a more personal level of His identity beyond
human reasoning. He deliberately required of them to listen with their spirit
and not to base man’s ability of reasoning things out, but readiness to hear
God through His revealing truth by the work of His Holy Spirit. Jesus knew He
was passing on to His future church His authority through His life, death and
resurrection. But He also knew what He was to be through submitted leaders that
would hear and move in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Peter’s
confession of who Christ was as the living Son of God, the Messiah, brought a
blessing upon him as the rock through
which Jesus would build His church.
Living In Joy and Peace
Everything
that truly matters in life comes from knowing who we are within Christ, leading us to that peace that passes all understanding.
He wants us to love Him beyond our circumstances and find comfort and peace
within His outstretched arms of loving grace and always at hand presence.
We
are to be those upon whom Christ Jesus will build His church. As such leaders,
we who touch other’s lives each day must allow His genuine enjoyment to splash
out. In one way or another, our written or our spoken words will encourage
many.
“The lips of the righteous feed many …” (Proverbs 10:21)
“The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow
with it.” (Proverbs 10:22)
