Time Seeds

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For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you. – Proverbs 9:11 (NKJ)

As we’ve studied Time Stewardship, we’ve been looking at how to sow seeds in faith from the Word of God into our life that are related to this subject. Today’s post is going to be a little different. I’m just going to give you some scriptures related to this topic.

All of these are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV). Read over them and meditate on them throughout your day, and tomorrow we’ll start looking at how to apply them in our lives.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Ephesians 5:15-17
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Colossians 4:5
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Psalm 39:4-5
Oh Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Psalm 90:10
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Psalm 33:11
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Hebrews 6:11-12
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Michael

Sowing Time

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“The sower sows the Word.” – Mark 4:14 (NKJ)

We’ve been talking about Biblical time management, or as we’ve been calling it, Time Stewardship. In the previous post I introduced the idea of increasing our time through the act of sowing into the Kingdom of God. Let’s expand on that idea further today.

Identify Your Seed

Now, in order to be successful at sowing seed, you must first identify your seeds correctly. We often hear talk about sowing and reaping when it comes to giving money into the Kingdom, so let’s look at that as an example since most readers will already be familiar with it.

Often the money itself is identified as the seed. However, this isn’t technically accurate in a scriptural sense. Jesus said the sower sows the Word. The seed you are sowing is actually the Word of God about money, not the money in and of itself.

We serve a God of faith.  He’s not impressed with our good works. In other words, the reason you’ll reap a financial harvest isn’t because you gave, but because you’re standing in faith on the Word’s promises about giving.

For example, you might pray Luke 6:38 over your offering: “Father God, you said in your Word to give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men put into your bosom. So I’m standing on that promise as I give this $50 into the offering.”

The seed you are sowing isn’t the $50, as many have assumed. The seed is actually Luke 6:38! By the act of giving the $50 you’re adding faith to that seed, demonstrating your faith in that promise from God’s Word by acting on what it says.

Reaping A Time Harvest

Since the entire Kingdom of God works on this same principle of seedtime and harvest, with that understanding let’s now apply the law of sowing and reaping to our time.

When I first mentioned sowing time into the Kingdom, you may have originally thought something along the lines of, “Okay, so that means I’ll have to give some time by helping out for a few hours at the church this Saturday,” or “I’ll have to give a couple extra hours toward praying this week.”

But just as with your money, the time itself isn’t the actual seed. When you’re sowing into the Kingdom with the intention of reaping a harvest, whatever the area, Jesus taught us that the seed is the Word of God on that subject.

So if we want to reap a time harvest, we need to sow the correct Word-seeds. Do you want more time in your life? Start by finding out what the Bible has to say on the subject. Tomorrow we’ll start looking in the Word for time seeds.

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Michael

The Key To Time Stewardship

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And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? – Mark 4:13 (NKJ)

We’ve been talking about what the Bible has to say about redeeming time, and introducing the concept of Time Stewardship.

The Key To All Of Jesus’ Teaching

Mark 4:1-9 contains the parable of the sower. After Jesus was finished teaching and He was alone with His disciples, they asked Him to expand on this parable further and explain to them what it meant.

Jesus told them this parable was the key to interpreting all of His teachings, as well as understanding how the entire Kingdom of God worked:

“To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…” – Mark 4:10 (NKJ)

Everything in the Kingdom of God works on the principle of sowing and reaping. If you can get a revelation of that in your spirit, it will help you immeasurably in your spiritual growth and understanding.

Sowing And Reaping

Paul also taught this principle:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. – Galatians 6:7 (NKJ)

Most of us have been taught the Golden Rule, and recognized how the Bible teaches that in order to gain more friends, we must first sow friendship:

Do to others as you would have them do to you. – Luke 6:31 (NIV)

A man who has friends must himself be friendly… – Proverbs 18:24 (NKJ)

Many of us have also been taught the principle of sowing and reaping as it pertains to our finances. In II Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 (both of these chapters are entirely about money), Paul teaches:

But this I say, He who sows sparingly will reap also sparingly; and he who sows bountifully will reap also bountifully. – II Corinthians 9:6 (NKJ)

Just as we are to be good stewards of our relationships and of our finances, so we’re also called to be good stewards of our time. The key to Time Stewardship, and the way to increase the amount of time you have, is sowing your time into the Kingdom.

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Michael

Time Stewardship

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Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. – Colossians 4:5 (KJV)

Yesterday we looked at how the word “redeemed” is defined: “To buy or pay off; clear by payment; to recover (something pledged or mortgaged) by payment or other satisfaction.” Today we’re going to talk more about redeeming time.

It’s All Greek To Me

The New Testament was originally written in Greek, so it’s often helpful to look at how words were used in the original language. You can do this using tools like a Bible Concordance, even if you don’t speak a word of Greek.

The word translated as “redeeming” in our English Bible is the Greek word exagorazo (ex-ag-or-ad’-zo), which means “to buy up or ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss (improve opportunity).”

The word is used only four times in the New Testament: Galatians 3:13, Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5. Both verses in Galatians refer to Christ redeeming us from the curse of the law, while the last two are both about redeeming time.

How Do You Buy Back Time?

Money and time are key commodities in the natural world, and with enough of both you can accomplish almost anything. When you’ve used up all the money you have on hand, you can always make more. They print more money every day.

But once time is spent, whether wisely or unwisely, it’s gone forever. You can’t “make more” time. You can only try to use it in the best way possible as it comes to you. This leads us to the next logical question: So how do you redeem time? How can you buy back time?

We’re going to explore this in great detail over the next few days, but I’ll give you the short answer now rather than tease you. The Bible way to get more time is to sow more of the time you have now back into the Kingdom of God.

If you’ve struggled with managing your time like I have, if it’s been a challenge for you to keep up with your obligations and still be able to do the things you want to do, then this revelation of Time Stewardship will change your life, just as it’s changing mine.

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Michael

Redeeming The Time

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Redeeming the time, because the days are evil – Ephesians 5:16 (KJV)

Between work, church and family obligations, I’ve been very busy these last few weeks.  As a result, one of the things that fell by the wayside was updating Threads Unraveled.  I’ve been struggling to get caught up so I’m able to return to doing daily updates again like I want to.

Time Management And The Word Of God

As I’ve worked on getting back to that place, I’ve really been studying time management principles so I could learn new ways to maximize my time.  That led me to think on what the Bible has to say about time management, because if that book truly is the Word of God, applicable to every area of our every day life, then surely it would have something to say on this subject as well, right?

I started with a familiar scripture, Ephesians 5:16 (quoted above), but I tried to look at it as if for the first time, filtering out any preconceived notions of ideas I might have had about the verse.

The word “redeem” jumped out at me.  I have redeemed coupons at the grocery store, and I know Christ has redeemed us.  Between those two examples that covers a lot of ground!

“Redeem” Defined

The dictionary defines redeem this way: “To buy or pay off; clear by payment; to recover (something pledged or mortgaged) by payment or other satisfaction.”

Yesterday we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, reflecting on this greatest of spiritual victories, but at the same time taking a moment to appreciate the price He paid to achieve that victory.  I was reminded that He redeemed us, or “bought us back,” by His precious Blood.

But how could I “buy back” time?  Unlike money, once time passes it’s spent forever.  That’s when the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me that the Bible doesn’t just teach principles of time management, but that it actually teaches Time Stewardship, which is a much broader and deeper concept.  More on this tomorrow!

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Michael

So What?

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“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

So what? That’s what I was originally going to name this topic but I decided Practical Application would make more sense over the long run.

How Does It Apply To Me?

The reason I was considering “So what?” as a title is because that’s my first thought every time I hear someone share something from the Bible. So what?

How does that apply to me? How is it relevant to my life?

That’s why I’ve come to believe a Pastor should never preach anything on a Sunday morning that can’t be put into good use on Monday morning.

There are so many things that could be talked about – technical scriptural points, historical notes, theological ideas (all of which might be very interesting and impressive) – and anybody can google up three points and a poem from Readers’ Digest.

But what should be talked about are the things you can put into practice to affect your life right away. As my Pastor likes to say, “information without application is an abomination.”

The verses above are a simple story Jesus told about two men who had several things in common. We tend to think they were very different men because they ended up in such strikingly different circumstances, but the truth is they weren’t. They were both a lot like us. Consider their similarities:

  • Both heard Jesus’ words
  • Both built a house
  • Both went through a storm

The one difference between them is the first man didn’t just listen to Jesus’ words, but he put them into practice. The second man heard the same words but did nothing with them.

I see this played out in the lives of so many people around me. These are people who come to church and listen. They hear the words of life. They are people of action, advancing in their careers, pursuing their goals, “building their house.” And they’re also people who are forced to endure the storms life will eventually bring.

The Storm Is Coming

Note that both men went through the storm. Don’t ever let anyone lie to you and tell you that if you’ll follow Christ your problems will be over. You’ll become better equipped to deal with those problems over time, but there aren’t any free passes to get you out of the storm. Both men went through the storm.

I see my brothers and sisters, people I genuinely care about, and watch when the storm strikes their house. Some endure and come out on the other side just as full of faith as when they went in. They don’t enjoy the storm. It’s not any fun. But they get through it.

Then there are the others. The storm strikes and their spiritual house collapses. Thrown into a crisis of faith they cry out, “Why did this happen to me?!?” From the outside their house looked just as sturdy as the others, but their foundation was sand, not rock.

It’s fine to be a Christian and enjoy discovering new light from God’s Word. It can be satisfying to learn new and interesting things. But what good are they doing you in your every day life?

At some point you have to ask yourself, “So what?”

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Michael

Growing Spiritually

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Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation – I Peter 2:2 (NAU)

The Church is in need of spiritually mature members. All of us begin at the New Birth as spiritual babies in Christ, but God doesn’t want us to stay that way. His desire is for us to grow into Christian maturity.

What Does God Want From Me?

People often wonder, “What does God want from me?” You could answer that question probably a million different ways, but the answer that best fits – whether you’re a brand new believer or you’ve been a Christian for decades – is that He wants you to grow.

To the new Christian wondering, “What am I supposed to do?” Grow. A whole section of Threads Unraveled called For New Believers will help you get started.

To the old-timers wondering, “What should I do now?” Keep growing. You haven’t arrived yet and neither have I.

The Bible compares the stages of spiritual growth to physical growth. You start out, as the verse above says, “like newborn babies.” Then you grow into a toddler, next a child, then an adolescent and finally into an adult. Each stage of spiritual growth has it’s own characteristics, just like growing in the natural.

Benefits Of Spiritual Growth

But spiritual growth is not chronological like physical growth is. A Christian could be born again and not grow for 20 years. Today in the church you have both hungry young adults who are maturing spiritually by leaps and bounds, and you have 50 year old spiritual babies.

This topic will help you locate where you are spiritually and show you what you need to do in order to grow into the next stage of spiritual development. You won’t be the same after you learn how to grow in the things of God.

You’ll stop being as dependent on others to pray for you and carry you. You’ll become more self-sufficient in God and be able to help the weaker of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of constantly seeking blessings, you’ll become a channel God uses to send blessings to others.

It means taking responsibility for your spiritual life, but the rewarding satisfaction you’ll get in return is like nothing else on this Earth.

We still have a lot of work to do. Time to grow up and start getting it done. Have a great day!

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Michael

What Is Faith Really For?

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But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6 (NKJ)

What an inspiring scripture! “For he who comes to God must believe that He is” – check. “And that He is a rewarder” – sweet! “Of those who diligently seek Him” – eh, okay. Not crazy about the “diligently” part (sounds awfully close to “work” right?), but hey, I guess I can do that.

But what was that first part again? “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.”

Do you want to please God?

Let’s dig into that for a little bit. Do you want to please God? “Yes of course I do.” Do you understand that it’s impossible to do that without faith? “Yes, I can see it written right there in the verse.”

Okay. But asking if you want to please God is a little abstract, isn’t it? I mean, most people would like to please God in a general sense. Let’s get more specific:

  • Do you want to please God on your job? “Yeah.”
  • Do you want to please Him when you deal with your family? “Sure.”
  • Do you want to please God when you’re making plans for the future? “Yes.”
  • Do you want to please God when you go to Wal-Mart (or wherever it is that you go)? “Uh… yeah, okay.”
  • Do you want to please Him when you pray? “Yes.”
  • Do you want to please Him when you’re listening to the Sunday morning message? “What? Yeah, sure.”

Alright, if you want to please God in all those areas, and you understand that it’s impossible to do that without faith, let me ask you this:

  • Do you use your faith at your workplace? “Huh?”
  • Do you use your faith when you deal with your family? “What?”
  • Do you make plans for your future in faith? “I never really thought about it.”
  • Do you go to Wal-Mart (or wherever) in faith? “Uh…”
  • Do you pray in faith? “I guess so.”
  • Do you use your faith when listening to a Sunday morning message? “How do I do that?”

Faith For Everything

If you want to please God in EVERY area of your life, then you’re going to have to learn how to HAVE FAITH in every area of your life!

There’s been a lot of teaching on having faith – some of it really good, some of it so extreme it’s turned people off – but my main goal in learning about faith is to strengthen my own faith and learn to apply it across the board, not just on Sunday mornings. If I can do that then I’ll please God more, and THAT is what I want my faith to do.

Learning how to make that happen is what the posts on this topic of Faith are going to be about.

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Michael

Employees And Employers

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What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? – Ecclesiastes 1:3 (ESV)

I was talking to a friend of mine this week who is a Christian owner of a small business. He asked me if there were any scriptures in the Bible that pertained to employees because he was having some issues and wanted to discover the Bible’s perspective on the matter. This wasn’t the first time I’ve been asked this question, so I decided to address it here today.

Relevant To Every Area Of Life

If the Word of God is relevant to every area of our life, then it certainly should address the employer-employee relationship, because that’s the situation where many of us are every day. The Bible does address it, and in great detail, but it’s not always immediately obvious to us due to our Western cultural biases. I will explain.

You can find spiritual wisdom for both employers and employees in the New Testament passages that deal with servants and their masters. When we think of slavery in America, we tend focus on our own nation’s history of chattel slavery in the South prior to the Civil War, which most of us find disgraceful and embarrassing today. Because of that, when we read about slavery in the Bible we often subconsciously discount those verses as having no relevance to our lives in the 21st century.

However, in the Roman Empire slavery was more of an economic arrangement, and a valid choice that many people made for themselves. Slaves didn’t receive a paycheck, but they were provided for and never had to worry about food, shelter or clothing. In urban areas up to 1/3 of the population were slaves, so Roman society would have collapsed if their version of slavery had been the same as that of early America’s.

No, the master-slave relationship in the Roman Empire of New Testament times was very similar to indentured servitude in the 13 colonies 200 years ago, where people would agree to serve for a number of years to work off their passage for the trip to America.

Take Another Look

Knowing this, let’s look at some of these passages for insights into the employer-employee relationship. If we substitute the word “employer” for “master” and the word “employee” for “slave or “bondservant,” then we’ll find these verses come alive with fresh revelation:

(Employees) obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is (an employee) or (an employer). (Employers), do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him. – Ephesians 6:5-8 (ESV)

(Employees), obey in everything those who are your earthly (employers), not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. (Employers), treat your (employees) justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. – Colossians 3:22-4:1 (ESV)

As you can see, looked at in their proper context today, these verses can help us view this relationship in an entirely new light. The Bible is especially careful to caution Christian workers who have believing bosses to not take advantage of their good nature just because they’re Christians:

Let all who are under a yoke as (employees) regard their own (employers) as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing (employers) must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. – I Timothy 6:1-2 (ESV)

(Employees) are to be submissive to their own (employers) in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. – Titus 2:9-10 (ESV)

One last point: in the Roman Empire, servants didn’t have to remain a slave for ever. Though very costly, it was possible for a slave to purchase his freedom, allowing him to become a free man. This beautiful picture is used by the New Testament to illustrate how Jesus purchased us from spiritual slavery with His own blood.

(Employees), be subject to your (employers) with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. – I Peter 18:25 (ESV)

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Michael

Do You Feel What He Feels?

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For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. – II Corinthians 11:2

We’ve been learning about how we can know the Holy Spirit is a person because personal qualities are ascribed to him in the Bible. These include the mind, will and emotions. In the past few sessions we looked at the mind of the Holy Spirit, and then we looked at His will. Finally, we’ve been looking at the final quality that shows us the Holy Spirit is a person and not just an impersonal energy or force: His emotions.

God Can Lead You Through Your Emotions

We went through a number of scriptural examples to prove the Holy Spirit has emotions, and last time we talked about how the Spirit of God can lead us through His emotions, and how we make a mistake if we limit the Holy Spirit to leading and guiding us only in the mental realm.

We talked about how words are containers that emotions can be poured into. I demonstrated how words can be used to communicate, but also how their ability to communicate clearly is enhanced when we add emotions to the mix.

This is what God does when he communicates with us on an emotional level. Since the Holy Spirit resides within us, sometimes we may feel the same things He is feeling about a matter or circumstance. There’s so much more to communicating than just words alone.

You’ll often see this when the gifts of the spirit are in manifestation (I Corinthians 12:7-11), especially with someone who’s just getting started, stepping out in faith to give out a word of prophecy or an interpretation of a tongue.

HOW You Say Things Matters

Sometimes the person will stumble trying to get the words right, but that’s not all there is to it. The right words can be said, but the sentiment can be wrong. A word of encouragement won’t be very encouraging if it’s delivered with sorrowful, mourning emotions. The words were technically correct, but the message is missed.

On the other hand, an individual can have trouble getting the words out correctly but the right sentiment is still expressed. The words come out choppy, not smooth, but the WAY the person says it is right, so the message gets across.

This is an area where we all need to grow in grace, but leaders especially need to learn this truth. As ministers, when we preach or teach we’re not only supposed to express what the Holy Spirit is SAYING, but also what He’s FEELING. The only way we can do this is if we have a strong and growing relationship with Him.

You can have that kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit too, because He’s a person like you are. Just like you, He has a mind, a will and emotions.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the person of the Holy Spirit, and I trust you’ve gotten something out of it! We’ll start a new series on the Holy Spirit soon.

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Michael

How God Uses Emotions

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For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death. – II Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)

We’ve been learning about how we can know the Holy Spirit is a person because personal qualities are ascribed to him in the Bible. These include the mind, will and emotions. In the past few sessions we looked at the mind of the Holy Spirit, and then we looked at His will. Finally, we’ve been looking at the final quality that shows us the Holy Spirit is a person and not just an impersonal energy or force: His emotions.

Using Your Emotions On Purpose

Last time we went through a number of scriptural examples to prove the Holy Spirit has emotions. Now that you know about those, today I want to continue this topic by talking about what you’re supposed to do with this information.

We use words to communicate, but emotions are also a vital aspect of communication. There’s more to communicating than just using words. Think of words as if they were containers. Words are like cups, you can pour things into them. (It’s challenging to communicate this in writing, so try to imagine you can hear me saying the next paragraph.)

Take the word “hello” – a simple word, right? But I can say a plain “hello” when I answer the phone, or I can say a loud, joyful “HELLO!” to let you know I’m glad to see you. On the other hand, when you enter the room I could look at you sideways and say a very subdued “hello” indicating I wish you hadn’t just shown up. Or I could grab you by the shoulders and say “HELLO?” while I shake you, as if to say, “Are you getting what I’m saying?”

We westerners are highly tuned into the mental realm of logic and reason, and often we downplay the emotions we feel, but God isn’t that way. He is in perfect tune with His emotions, and sometimes it will be those emotions that lead us.

Emotions And Divine Guidance

When we have a big decision to make or we’re seeking His wisdom to apply to some problem in our life, so often we strain to hear His words on the subject at hand but we are ignoring His feelings about it. God can lead you through an emotional connection with Him just like He could lead you through a mental connection. Were you aware of that possibility?

If you purpose in your heart to walk closely with the Holy Spirit, here will be times in your Christian life when something won’t be sitting right inside you. In your head you may not understand all the how’s and why’s, but on the inside you’ll feel an emotion – maybe anger, grief or exasperation. That could be the Holy Spirit within you feeling that emotion through you!

Don’t let that sound weird to you. If you’re a believer you’ve already experienced it at least once. When God the Holy Spirit was drawing you to Himself, you felt His sorrow in your spirit over the sin in your life. That godly sorrow worked repentance, and you received Christ as your Savior. To God be the glory.

Next time we really will wrap up this series with some final thoughts on the emotions and person of the Holy Spirit!

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Michael

The Emotions Of The Spirit

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The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

We’ve been learning about how we can know the Holy Spirit is a person because personal qualities are ascribed to him in the Bible. These include the mind, will and emotions. In the past few sessions we looked at the mind of the Holy Spirit, and then we looked at His will. Last session we started to look at the final quality that shows us the Holy Spirit is a person and not just an impersonal energy or force: His emotions.

Scriptural Examples

When we talked about the concept of the Holy Spirit having emotions, but I didn’t provide a lot of scriptures. This time I want to look at several scriptures to emphasize the fact that the Holy Spirit has emotions.

We can start with the Zephaniah 3:17 quoted above. Here we see God showing delight, rejoicing and singing. That’s quite a contrast from most people’s mental picture of the Almighty! He can be grieved or delighted, but He’s never flighty with His emotions. When He expresses Himself in an emotional way, there’s always a good reason, as we’ll see in the following examples:

In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. – Isaiah 63:9 (NIV)

Woe is me because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, “Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it. – Jeremiah 10:19 (ESV)

In these verses we see that when we hurt, the Spirit of God hurts with us. But when we stubbornly refuse to obey, how does that make Him feel?

I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. – Jeremiah 12:7

And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. – Judges 10:16

You have forsaken me, said the LORD, you are gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against you, and destroy you; I am weary with repenting. – Jeremiah 15:6 (AKJ)

Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have fretted Me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense your way on your head, said the Lord GOD: and you shall not commit this lewdness above all your abominations. – Ezekial 16:43 (AKJ)

But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. – Isaiah 63:10

God Also Loves

These are sobering verses to read, but remember that if you are walking with Him in the light that you have then you have nothing to fear. In fact, the just judgment of God upon the wicked is intended by God to be a great source of comfort to you.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. – Psalm 2:1-4

God always gets the last laugh, and we get to laugh with Him. Next time we’ll wrap up this study with some final thoughts on the emotions of the Holy Spirit.

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Michael