Tag: God’s Spirit within us

Alone ~ but NOT Alone

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD4 Comments

How can this be? How can a person be alone but at the same time not alone?
To understand, we must see ourselves as God our Father created us from the beginning.
From Genesis, we learn that He formed man from the dust of the earth, and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life “and man became a living soul.”

The apostle Paul speaks of the whole man as “spirit, soul, and body” (1 Thess. 5:23)
First God created the body and gave it His breath — His Spirit — which together with his body made man a living being. He breathed life into the physical form that otherwise would have remained  lifeless.
His life, His Spirit, has been the perpetual power given with each person born in every generation. Adam’s wife, Eve, was given life from the same Spirit, but in her body a spirit of her own, her own soul. Together, they produced offspring through the union of their souls and bodies.
Every generation and every individual lives by the same power of God’s Spirit through each one.

Let’s consider another question?
How does God always know where I am and what I am thinking?

“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the inner depths of his heart.”
Prov. 20:27

When a person dies, what happens to his spirit?

“For man goes to his eternal home,…
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
Ecc. 12:5-7

“Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.”
Ps. 146:3-4

Alone Physically but Not Spiritually
Considering these references let’s see if we can give a clear understanding to our first question.

Since Jerry’s death two years ago, I have been alone physically. Every room has been silent, only one side of the bed needs to be turned down at night and remade each morning.  I have only one plate to fill, empty, and clean, and only a few clothes to launder – no more pills and bandages, no more bloody sheets, no wheelchair, no moaning, and groaning. But, oh, how I miss his moaning and his dependency on me – not constantly, but still occasionally I miss him and my spirit mourns. 

Overriding this tearing away of the “one flesh” stage of life – overarching this flood that has taken place to establish the next stage — is the assurance of our Father’s presence by His continual Spirit with my spirit.

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,”
Roms. 8:16

Our Father created us all through Adam and Eve, our first parents, but because of their disobedience, we are individually born into this world with the sentence of death.
But by His grace, we are given new life – eternal life – through Christ, His Son. His Holy Spirit quickens us, and gives this new life to those who believe and obey Him; we live in the assurance of His presence with us now and forever.  (Eph. 2:1)
His Spirit within us is His means to carry us from one stage to another, through every loss, with victory over our feelings and struggles. He continues to teach us through His written Word of the promises that are ours.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? 
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him 
For the help of His countenance.”
Ps. 42:5

Jesus said to His disciples, “…you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” Jn. 16:32

“For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Heb. 13:5; Isa. 41:10

Perhaps my greatest witness of this truth is that “the new heart and new spirit” our Father gave Jerry and me as “one flesh” was not taken from me. Even as He united us together as one in Christ, His Spirit still dwells in me, giving life, strength, and joy to my soul – while Jerry is beholding and enjoying His eternal glory in heaven.

Dear Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name in the lives of all your children in every stage of this life, your Spirit bringing us to you as you have planned for each of us. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

(Unedited excerpt from Our FATHER Hears ~ The Voice of Daughters Crying in the Wilderness — in process for publication this year.)

Bountiful Compensation

On By francesrogersIn CONTENTMENT, GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, PRAYER, Uncategorized2 Comments

How many times I have quoted David’s words, “The Lord hath dealt bountifully with me” are without number. Today I was brought to a new understanding of how bountiful the Lord is toward His people. It seems that His dealing bountifully with us is experienced more in the difficult times. It is as if by all the heavenly blessings He gives, He is compensating for the troubles that we go through; as our first parents robbed us of our original legacy, leaving us in a state of sin and misery. He gives mercy when we deserve His wrath; grace and more grace beyond what we are worth; love, joy and peace that we can never know apart from the power of His Spirit within us.

“Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:3-6

The compensation is much greater than anything we have lost. The heavenly blessings are ours in Christ, His Son, who is our life, and as He promised, it is life, abundantly. We can give up everything here, even through persecution, and He blesses beyond all that we can ask or imagine.

In Psalm 142:5-6 David seems to be speaking from the experience of the Lord’s care. He was trusting Him to again deal bountifully with him when he was in the cave; Saul in pursuit.

“I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.”

Psalm 116:7  is another reference to the Psalmist’s experience of the Lord dealing bountifully with him.

Psalm 119:17 is David’s prayer that the Lord would again deal bountifully with him.

The apostle Paul speaks of this in how we live and use what we have been given.  If we sow bountifully, giving sacrificially, the compensation will be bountiful in what we reap.

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
2 Corinthians 9:6

As we trust and receive all the heavenly blessings that compensate for the lack in this life, we live joyfully in the care of our heavenly Father, who loves us and gave His Son for us, a bountiful compensation for our need of a Savior and Lord, now and for eternity.

Dear Father, we cannot thank you enough for first knowing our need for salvation, a salvation that is more than sufficient for all who believe. You do not leave us to fend for ourselves, but know that you supply abundantly all that we need ~ from your riches in glory. We praise you for dealing bountifully with us; that we can experience the abundant life that Jesus came to give. We praise you, that though this life takes us through what sometimes seems impossible, you never fail to be with us, prevailing through us and blessing us beyond comprehension with eternal things. These are worth the loss of all temporal things. Thank you for loving us and caring for us as your beloved children. Enable us to share the bountiful life that is ours in Christ, your Son. In Jesus’ name we thank you and praise you. Amen.

Image: Google