Monday 22 April 2013

Spirit of the Lord

Well that was a busy week.  I felt like I barely slept, was going constantly all day and then had an activity every evening. The craziness even continued into the weekend with a visit from my mom and culminating with a childrens church meeting and a baby shower for my sister yesterday afternoon. 

God is so good to me in those times of craziness though.  I felt his hand and his guidance through the week and feel like he heaped on his grace to help me give it to others. 

In our bible study on Wednesday nights, we have been talking about the Spirit of God. One of the topics we ended up discussing was the fruit of the Spirit. But it sent me on a hunt for more of the gifts of the Spirit of God. Take a look at some of what I found. 


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galations 5:22-26

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 
Exodus 31:1-5

Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 
Judges 14:5-6

The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
1 Samuel 10:6

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord

Isaiah 11:2

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
 
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:2-4


I think we often think of the fruit of the Spirit as something that we need to work toward. But I have begun to see it more as something that is evidence of the Spirit. Just like a tree bares fruit so do we when we the Spirit dwells in us. 

There are so many other things that the Spirit of the Lord brings. Wisdom and understanding, counsel, strength and might, tongues, and skills, to name a few. The Spirit of the Lord brings freedom. Freedom from sin and death. 


When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:15-17

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18



May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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