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April 21, 2009
The Plumb Line of God Part 3 ~ God's Spirit |
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Greetings!
This is the last part in the series "The Plumb Line of God". The plumb line of God is mentioned in chapter seven of the Book of Amos beginning in verse seven:
"7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said: " Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore."
In the past two devotions, we talked about the plumb line of God's Word and the plumb line of God's people. Today, our topic is the plumb line of God's Spirit.
The Spirit of God is an amazing component of our triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Throughout scripture, the Spirit of God is credited with incredible acts and influence - creation, the anointing and filling of prophets, warriors, kings and priests, the virgin birth, the baptism of Jesus, the filling of the apostles, the indwelling of followers of Jesus, the revelation of God in scripture and the leading and convicting of God's people, are just a few of the roles played by the Spirit of God. Today, the Spirit of God is active in the life of God's people as a plumb line of God.
The Spirit of God is a plumb line for God's children as God uses His Spirit to provide feedback regarding our walk, worship and work. God is interested in our growth to become like Jesus and our alignment with His plans for our life. As such, God's Spirit is to be acknowledged, respected and obeyed. Our following of God's Spirit is the greatest method to insure that the foundation of our life is Jesus Christ and the purpose of our life is to glorify God the Father. |
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God's Spirit ~ His Plumb Line and Our Helper!
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
~ John 16:7-15 ~ |
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Respond to the Gift of God's Spirit
I am so thankful for the Spirit of God. God has provided an incredible life transforming tool in the giving of His Spirit. Through the Plumb Line of God's Spirit I am filled, renewed, anointed, convicted, corrected, encouraged, and delivered. God has not left us as orphans without protection, provision or promise. No, God has come through once again. He has provided the same Spirit that was there at creation and at the resurrection of Jesus Christ to guide and shape our lives. What an incredible gift!
The Plumb Line of God's Spirit has been provided and our task is to simply honor God's gift. The best way to show appreciation for a gift is use. The best way to dishonor a gift is to ignore it. Friend, we need to honor the plumb line of God's Spirit by allowing it to shape the construction of our life. We need to respond to the prompting of God's Spirit throughout the day. It is not enough to play "good Christian" and attend church and sing hymns. No, we must be about living for God and to do this we must be led by His Spirit.
Being led by God's Spirit means following His will and ways. The best way to do this is to pray "thy will be done" and not "my will be done". You must surrender to God's plans, purpose and will while yielding to His leading. This translates into life application that governs our thoughts, actions and speech. To be led by God's Spirit is to continually check the plumb line of God against human error and sloppy living that leads to sin and sorrow.
I encourage you to thank God for the plumb line of His Spirit and to check in regularly with God through the plumb line of His Spirit. God's desire is to keep the building project, called life, on track and according to His specifications. He accomplishes this difficult task by using the plumb line of His Word, His People and His Spirit. Allow God to "complete the work He began in you" (Philippians 1:6) through the following of His Plumb Line adjustments and evaluations. Your attention to His plumb line will result in a life that is full of joy and peace and that gives God great glory!
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For King and Kingdom,
Randy Martin |
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