Dear Brethren and Friends,
We are the people of God! God has not called most of this world to understand His will. But He has called most of you reading this article. Jesus said, "No man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
Brethren, you and I have had that calling. And that calling brings with it a special responsibility. For Jesus also said, "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke 12:48).
As Pentecost approaches, we need to meditate on the power of God's Holy Spirit! For that Spirit was "poured out" on the early Christians (Titus 3:5–6)—and we too can be filled with this very Spirit of God if we fully surrender and seek God with all our hearts. However, we must realize that we are living in an exceedingly sinful age. We should not assume that we are "okay" with God just because our standard is a little higher than that of the society around us. For God's Spirit has not been poured out on this society. Rather, the world around us has been drenched with Satan's spirit—his cynicism and sarcasm against the things of God, his rebellion and his total unwillingness to let the Creator "tell him what to do." No matter how much "churchianity" may talk "religious talk" and describe its love for "sweet Jesus," its people will not surrender their hearts and minds to literally do what God says, to obey His Law or to let Him genuinely rule their lives. As the Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us, "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:7).
The upcoming day of Pentecost should focus our minds on our absolute need, living in this worldly and confused society, to seek God with all our hearts! If we are to be filled with God's Spirit, we must do everything we can to walk with God, talk with God and let God rule the thoughts and intentions of our minds. We must constantly "feed" on Jesus Christ (John 6:57), and fill our minds with God's word continually. As David did, we need to pray, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).
Brethren, it is so easy for you and me to get caught up in our daily routines, and to become so absorbed in entertainment or in talking to people about merely physical things, that we forget we are the bondslaves and ambassadors of Jesus Christ, who must constantly give of our time, talents, energies and resources to help prepare for the Kingdom of God, and who must constantly be "overcoming" in every phase of our lives to become more like Jesus Christ—and more fit to become those kings and priests whom He is preparing to assist Him in ruling the cities and nations of this earth.
Are we doing all of this?
One of the hardest things for anyone to do is to genuinely take correction and act on it! Are you willing to be shown where you are wrong, accept that correction in a right attitude, pray about it and then try to respond positively—through Christ in you—to make the changes necessary in your life? Sadly, most people resent correction. They often get their feelings hurt, and feel badly toward those who give the correction—even though it may have been given with every good intention to point out real problems in the individual's life, which need to be solved for the person's ultimate good!
How To "Feed on Christ"
Dear brethren, we all need to read the Bible regularly with the attitude of letting it correct us! For instance, notice this instruction from Paul: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1–2).
When we read these verses, do we sincerely ask ourselves, "Am I actually becoming a living sacrifice in the hands of God?" Do we ask, "Am I seeking to have my mind 'transformed' and 'renewed' through God's Spirit and through Christ living within me?"
We need to study the Bible constantly with that attitude! We should literally be "crying out" to God to fashion us, mold us and make us more like Jesus Christ in every phase of our lives!
A few years ago, thousands of religious youth in this country were wearing "WWJD" bracelets, T-shirts, and other paraphernalia. As many of you remember, those initials stood for, "What Would Jesus Do?" However, most of the young people wearing "WWJD" did not remotely understand that in order to find out what Jesus would do, they would need to study the Bible to see what He really did do when He was here on earth! So, for me personally, I have turned the slogan around and I try to make a habit of asking myself regularly, "What would Jesus really do?" Perhaps you will want to appropriate this same habit in your own meditation.
Thinking of it this way, I can focus my mind on remembering that I must become genuinely sure of what Jesus would do, so that I am not just imagining in some sentimental way what He might do. This reminds me that I need to study, meditate and be sure that I am following the genuine example of Jesus of Nazareth as He walked in human flesh. Yet, as we all know, I cannot always do that, unless I am actively seeking God's help through His Holy Spirit, so that it is actually Christ doing these things within me by that Spirit.
Brethren, let us constantly review the "fruits" of the Holy Spirit as listed by the inspired Apostle Paul, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22–23).
Then, as each day goes by, let us strive to live that way of life through Christ within us. As Paul wrote, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (v. 25).
As conditions in our world grow even more fraught with danger and turmoil during these "last days" of our present society, let us truly go "all out" in showing our God that we intend to be His genuine servants. Let us show Him that we realize we must truly "come out" of this world and give our lives to Him with all our hearts. Let us prove to Him that we know we can only become the genuine people of God through the power of the Holy Spirit truly living within us—day by day and hour by hour.
We must all be willing to grow spiritually, "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). We must each think carefully about how we may more fully reflect Jesus Christ in every phase and facet of our lives.
Remember, as Paul explained, we need to grow so that we may not be "carried about with every wind of doctrine" through the trickery and cunning of misguided men. Satan will always try to find our "weak point" and cause some situation or even some false minister to be there to take advantage of that! What will be your "sticking point"? What is it in your character that Satan may spot so he can in some way turn you bitter, or in some other way turn you away from the true Church of God and your part in doing His Work?
In every way, we must truly be strong. We must be those "spiritual rocks" whom God will choose to do His Work—not only now, but forever! May God guide each one of us to make this commitment to our Creator! May He inspire each of us to do our part enthusiastically to use the power of God's Spirit within our lives!
