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People today need to see and interact with Spirit-led people. Will you be one?
To allow “a Holy Spirit–inspired disposition of the heart” to motivate and direct you into obedient action is to be led by the Spirit. Christ-followers are called to learn to truly trust in, rely on, surrender to, and obey the workings and leadings of the Holy Spirit within us. (Romans 8:14) That’s how we begin to seek first the kingdom (the interior government) of God. (Matthew 6:33)
Refuse to deny or ignore the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. Discern them, (1 Corinthians 12:7-10) recognize them, and dare to continually put them into action. (James 1:22) The way to grow in Christ is to go about sowing and doing what God the Holy Spirit teaches and directs you to do. (John 14:26) If your life isn’t frequently producing, manifesting, and demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, then you aren’t being very well led by the Spirit of God. (Galatians 5:22-23)
To call “the deep wellsprings of Christ in us” “subjective” is to deny that He is God. If the Holy Spirit is God, then nothing that He says or does within you is “subjective.”
Your subjective desires that the Bible calls “the flesh” (Galatians 5:16-18) work against the Holy Spirit. To be led by the Spirit we have to continually deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow the living Jesus. (Luke 9:23)
Love proclaimed with words or speech is not the same as love demonstrated with heart-felt actions that are truly (and objectively) inspired and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. Instead of trying to force yourself to love, plug your heart into God’s supernatural love and let His Spirit flow unceasingly through you like a powerful electric current. (Acts 1:8) Then God’s love that you are personally experiencing within you will overflow like rivers of living water, (John 7:37-39) filling you and the people around you with shock and awe at the goodness and reality of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
Wherever you go and whatever you do, be sent out by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:4) “Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.:” What is God the Holy Spirit saying to you?
Today’s message has a lot to elaborate. I knew a christian many many years ago when I was more interested in buddhism. That person made me believe that if replacing “Hallelujah” to “Amituofo”, a christian can immediately becomes a perfect buddist.
When we believe someone need our pity/help, a simple way to deliver us from acting like God in other’s life is “Love your neighbor as yourself”, assuming put ourself in other’s situation, and assuming the other one has the blessing we have and willing to help, then, how we would like to be helped?
How does one teach this lesson to the poor? The Sunday School class I help lead are those very ones who are in need.
It breaks my heart to watch the news and see those who are starving reaching their pots out hoping to have a portion of food and many going away with nothing. Our pantry is full. I would so like to put food into one of those pots and know they would have nourishment for at least one day.
I really loved to hear the story of Maleek and how you helped him. The call to get his flight straightened out and the joy and surprise of the $100 – what joy must have filled your heart and his!
God has used your words today to stir me to give in a sacrificial way to some friends who are struggling. Not just the story of Malik–how precious!–but your words on “throwing away the calculator” spoke directly to me. Checking the bank balance to determine whether to give or not is not the right motive, is it?
Thank you for this timely post!
Pity is an interesting word. The feel sorry for. Empathy I prefer. I think petty is a little more like sympathy and our usage. So empathy is a good start because we’re all human and we all have needs.
But I think what limits the actual giving and helping is liability. We live in the modern world of liability. To help someone can very easily equal being liable for that help being used against you. I need help desperately to have a job. But not many people are going to give me a job. Either because they don’t have a job to give, or because they don’t want to deal with the liability in case I might not be a very good employee.
So there’s a lot to do with it. You can argue all day long that the person that has something to give should take a step of faith and just give. But that does not consider the liability of those that would take advantage of that situation to hurt the giver.