Wednesday, June 13, 2012

"freely you received, freely give." - matt. 10:8b


as a christian led by the Holy Spirit, i am often compelled/led to share what i have been given to others. this  should only be expected as we grow into a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. this is based upon a spiritual principle where we receive more only as we give away what we have already received.

the trials that you struggle through only to grow you into being more Christlike is not just for you, its for others. the revelation that blew your mind yesterday is not just for you, its for others.

the truths that we allow to be imparted into us by all things heavenly are not intended simply for consumption and thus growing more and more spiritually obese, but are for the kingdom. and the kingdom is at its very nature, outward focused. speaking these truths is not something we should feel obligated to do, forcing them into conversation so that they end up presented as contrived or phony, but should flow out of us as the Holy Spirit opens those doors into the conversations we participate in. nor should we only give in order to receive. the motivation behind our giving/imparting is everything. we are compelled by the Spirit to give out of a deeper love relationship we have with the Triune God.

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lately i have been doing a lot of giving and not as much receiving and without knowing it, i fell into this place of relying more on myself to get things done rather than sharing that burden with Christ. this resulted in a lifestyle where i was constantly striving to get all the things done i committed to, a precarious balancing act where physical/mental exhaustion were commonplace and stress reigned.

"then Jesus said, 'come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you. let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light'." matt. 11:28-30

a yoke is typically shared by two oxen. while meditating on this i began picturing Christ and i working together but Him carrying the majority of the load. He takes my load upon Himself and calls it His yoke. i can find rest while i work in His will because im no longer doing it all on my own. i am no longer striving, i have reached a place of abiding in Christ.

sometimes life sneaks up on us and we get caught up in busyness and relying on self, we are only human after all. thank God for bringing us to the end of our rope when we reach this point and in our despair we realize the huge logs in our eyes.

it may not seem like it, but its grace at work.

its just another day living a life in the Spirit.

2 comments:

  1. Amen, I have chills.
    This was the perfect morning to read this.
    Thanks Eric

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  2. Thanks for sharing this! So true and so needed for me to hear right now.

    ReplyDelete