“The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63, LSB)
For many years, I worked with Habitat for Humanity groups. I helped renovate homes for the needy, build homes with the poor, even traveling overseas to do so!. I believe wholeheartedly in the Habitat for Humanity mission of giving so that everyone can have a home. President Jimmy Carter was highly inspirational in his work for Habitat for Humanity. In a recent article I read, it noted that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have worked on this mission for more than four decades, working side by side with 104,000 volunteers to help build over 4300 homes for needy families. A wonderful lifetime accomplishment!
Then, I saw a photo last week. It was a photo of Jimmy Carter at a family gathering. He was reclined, weak, barely breathing. It looked like he could barely lift an arm or even sit up on his own. That one-time champion worker at building homes is now only a shadow of his former self. He can no longer sling a hammer or fix a roof. It is a shame to see when a person loses their physical strength. It brought tears to my eyes.
What also brings tears to my eyes (and I’m sure brought tears to the eyes of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter!) is the sight of a person who is not filled with the Holy Spirit. They, too, are empty inside. Even if they have the physical strength to use a hammer, go to work, and do many other things, they have an empty soul. And it shows. They don’t have the strength of character and passion for all things godly. They usually lack the desire to pray. They don’t have a will to worship Almighty God. The passion and love for godliness and faithfulness has been replaced with a self-centered worldly set of desires. They have a spiritual apathy that could care less if people go to heaven or hell. They only care about their own creature comforts and selfish motivations.
At a baseball game of little leaguers, the best team in the league was facing the worst team in the league. The team with the most wins was up against the team that was of boys that no longer felt they could ever win. The passion of the teams was strikingly different. The winning team had a grandstand full of parents. The losing team had a few stragglers. The winning team ran out to the field when the game began. When time came for the losing team, they jogged out slowly or walked with heads bent low. The winning team was out playing for the win. The losing team just knew this was going to be another loss. The winning team was full of team spirit. The losing team had little or none.
When a spiritual life no longer is infused by the Holy Spirit (or never was), a person will inevitably lose their passion for God, their joy over Christ’s victory on the cross, a heart for missions to help the poor and needy, and a joy that reaches out in love. It will be more difficult for that person to forgive or offer grace. Their soulful peace will be fleeting. They will no longer feel fired up to do what is right out of the love of God. You will be able to see a hollowness in the person’s devotion and demeanor. They will no longer light up with joyful thanksgiving.
I am reminded of these lost souls when I look at a picture of the mica mines in Madagascar. There, hundreds of thousands of people mine the earth. More than ten thousand of them are children under the age of fifteen. They toil for long hours for paltry incomes, knowing this drudgery is their lot in life. In pictures I have seen of children hard at work, their eyes are fixed on the dangerous work. There are no smiles. There is no laughter. Their bodies are covered in the soil in which they work. They look like zombies with no soul.
Our world is filled with many people who do not have the Holy Spirit infused in heart and soul and mind. They, too, have become like zombies. They go to work only to make a living. They watch TV or play video games to get high scores but do not help others or build homes for the needy. They go on social media to write their thoughts and read about famous people but are unwilling to step out of their comfort zones to use their hands and feet and will to make the world a better place. They may even talk about God, but they don’t take the time or make the effort to pray or worship or show obedience to God in any regular fashion.
You may think pastors or priests would be different. They must be full of the Holy Spirit, right? Some are. Some are not. I’ve seen pastors with sermons so dry and unpassionate that people couldn’t even tell what the pastor said after leaving the worship service. The words wouldn’t stick to the listener because the words were delivered with dry oration and little or no passion.
Our scripture for today drives home the need for Holy Spirit in the faithful life. From the gospel of John comes these words of Jesus: “The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63a). Jesus said these words to his disciples at Capernaum. Jesus wanted them to understand that the Holy Spirit brings passion to the spiritual life. The fleshly body is just a husk without it. The human body is just a bunch of organs and skin and bones without the Holy Spirit. The human may walk and talk and breathe because of human flesh. But without the Holy Spirit, the human body won’t experience spiritual power, true forgiveness, peace in a soul, rest for the weary, joy with saving grace.
Charles Stanley wrote the following words as a cautionary reminder of the need for the filling of the Holy Spirit to abundance in the Christian life:
“It is the Holy Spirit who guides you on the right path, convicts you of sin, reminds you of God’s truth, and teaches you to apply Scripture to your life. But even more importantly, it is the Holy Spirit who works to conform you to the image of Christ and who empowers you to serve Him and others. This is why the lesson all believers must learn is how to experience and live daily in the power of the Holy Spirit. No matter where you are in your journey with Jesus, this is the key to being a truly successful, fulfilled, productive, and joyful Christian.” (p. 302, Jesus, Our Perfect Hope)
How strong is the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you ever asked God to fill you with the Spirit or were you just thinking it would happen on its own? Ask for an indwelling of the Holy Spirit today! Ask God to fill you up with the Spirit! If you then accept that Spirit, it will change your life, bring a new appreciation to God’s blessings, and transform your everyday world. May the Holy Spirit work powerfully in you today!
Then, I saw a photo last week. It was a photo of Jimmy Carter at a family gathering. He was reclined, weak, barely breathing. It looked like he could barely lift an arm or even sit up on his own. That one-time champion worker at building homes is now only a shadow of his former self. He can no longer sling a hammer or fix a roof. It is a shame to see when a person loses their physical strength. It brought tears to my eyes.
What also brings tears to my eyes (and I’m sure brought tears to the eyes of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter!) is the sight of a person who is not filled with the Holy Spirit. They, too, are empty inside. Even if they have the physical strength to use a hammer, go to work, and do many other things, they have an empty soul. And it shows. They don’t have the strength of character and passion for all things godly. They usually lack the desire to pray. They don’t have a will to worship Almighty God. The passion and love for godliness and faithfulness has been replaced with a self-centered worldly set of desires. They have a spiritual apathy that could care less if people go to heaven or hell. They only care about their own creature comforts and selfish motivations.
At a baseball game of little leaguers, the best team in the league was facing the worst team in the league. The team with the most wins was up against the team that was of boys that no longer felt they could ever win. The passion of the teams was strikingly different. The winning team had a grandstand full of parents. The losing team had a few stragglers. The winning team ran out to the field when the game began. When time came for the losing team, they jogged out slowly or walked with heads bent low. The winning team was out playing for the win. The losing team just knew this was going to be another loss. The winning team was full of team spirit. The losing team had little or none.
When a spiritual life no longer is infused by the Holy Spirit (or never was), a person will inevitably lose their passion for God, their joy over Christ’s victory on the cross, a heart for missions to help the poor and needy, and a joy that reaches out in love. It will be more difficult for that person to forgive or offer grace. Their soulful peace will be fleeting. They will no longer feel fired up to do what is right out of the love of God. You will be able to see a hollowness in the person’s devotion and demeanor. They will no longer light up with joyful thanksgiving.
I am reminded of these lost souls when I look at a picture of the mica mines in Madagascar. There, hundreds of thousands of people mine the earth. More than ten thousand of them are children under the age of fifteen. They toil for long hours for paltry incomes, knowing this drudgery is their lot in life. In pictures I have seen of children hard at work, their eyes are fixed on the dangerous work. There are no smiles. There is no laughter. Their bodies are covered in the soil in which they work. They look like zombies with no soul.
Our world is filled with many people who do not have the Holy Spirit infused in heart and soul and mind. They, too, have become like zombies. They go to work only to make a living. They watch TV or play video games to get high scores but do not help others or build homes for the needy. They go on social media to write their thoughts and read about famous people but are unwilling to step out of their comfort zones to use their hands and feet and will to make the world a better place. They may even talk about God, but they don’t take the time or make the effort to pray or worship or show obedience to God in any regular fashion.
You may think pastors or priests would be different. They must be full of the Holy Spirit, right? Some are. Some are not. I’ve seen pastors with sermons so dry and unpassionate that people couldn’t even tell what the pastor said after leaving the worship service. The words wouldn’t stick to the listener because the words were delivered with dry oration and little or no passion.
Our scripture for today drives home the need for Holy Spirit in the faithful life. From the gospel of John comes these words of Jesus: “The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63a). Jesus said these words to his disciples at Capernaum. Jesus wanted them to understand that the Holy Spirit brings passion to the spiritual life. The fleshly body is just a husk without it. The human body is just a bunch of organs and skin and bones without the Holy Spirit. The human may walk and talk and breathe because of human flesh. But without the Holy Spirit, the human body won’t experience spiritual power, true forgiveness, peace in a soul, rest for the weary, joy with saving grace.
Charles Stanley wrote the following words as a cautionary reminder of the need for the filling of the Holy Spirit to abundance in the Christian life:
“It is the Holy Spirit who guides you on the right path, convicts you of sin, reminds you of God’s truth, and teaches you to apply Scripture to your life. But even more importantly, it is the Holy Spirit who works to conform you to the image of Christ and who empowers you to serve Him and others. This is why the lesson all believers must learn is how to experience and live daily in the power of the Holy Spirit. No matter where you are in your journey with Jesus, this is the key to being a truly successful, fulfilled, productive, and joyful Christian.” (p. 302, Jesus, Our Perfect Hope)
How strong is the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you ever asked God to fill you with the Spirit or were you just thinking it would happen on its own? Ask for an indwelling of the Holy Spirit today! Ask God to fill you up with the Spirit! If you then accept that Spirit, it will change your life, bring a new appreciation to God’s blessings, and transform your everyday world. May the Holy Spirit work powerfully in you today!
Today's video talks about losing a focus on God....