A while back I had the opportunity and privilege of seeing God work his Spirit in his people crafting the peacemakers that He calls us to be – much in the same way as we see God hold the Israelite’s hands as they are delivered out of Egypt, into the Promised Land, and established as a mighty kingdom, Holy for God’s purposes.
…it was a quiet night, regular as your average Joe on any given Sunday. Conversations propelled on smoothly and eventfully; relationships were being built brick by brick. Then it happened; you know, unexpectedly – a purposeful question, perhaps expecting a certain type of answer – but had predestined an answer which did/would not come. Alas, the wrong tone, the wrong body language, and certain ‘vibe’ of it all leave both parties in a state of not ‘go-in-peace-to-love-and-serve-the-LORD’, on the contrary, it leaves things in utter chaos; …That must’ve been what it felt like for Adam as he gazed speechlessly towards his companion Eve, as she ate the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – Adam would have recalled the command so vividly, the command the LORD God explicitly gave him forbidding the consumption of that particular fruit…
…so you catch yourself standing there and – just like in the movies – the world around you ‘stops’ if even for a split second – which seems like an hour; you’re left bewildered and literally thinking: “what the…”
The night passes on as usual, but in the blessed company of a certain God-given girlfriend, things start to pan out quite unexpectedly; I know this is 20/20 hindsight, but when I was in her counsel, I could literally see the events starting to take shape into different forms, forms which I would not have imagined even in my wildest dreams.
Within the hour, I had realized that my reaction was a culmination of my upbringing, the environment of my high-school; private and all boys. In the end, after some prayer, I decided to ‘put-away’ my initial reactions (which is all it was) and go with the “peacemakers” attitude that had been the suggestion from my 1-on-1 counseling…
…within 24 hours, things had made a turn for the better. God’s Spirit is truly a Spirit of Peace, He brings peace to every place He dwells in, and if He dwells within the Saints, the Saints should bear the fruits of the Spirit. Apologies were made and accounts were settled. True peace has come. And a lesson has been learnt.
God has made those - who trust in the salvation of Jesus Christ on the Cross, believing in your own heart that God raised Jesus from death – into Living Temples for God. The Saints are cleansed and sanctified, able for God’s Spirit to live in and built as He pleases. These perishable bodies which we live in are God’s own, and instruments for building his eternal kingdom which is coming very soon. The night is gone and daybreak is here. The Saints live in Light, Light which comes from heaven and from the hand of God. He has given us eyes of Light, discerning Good and Evil deeds, discerning Wisdom and Folly, and given true choice to follow the desires of the flesh or the obedience of the Spirit. Follow the Spirit and bear his fruits.
As Temples of God we would be wise to take every precaution not to outrage the Spirit of Grace. He lives in us to bring Glory to God’s Name, ergo we have 1 John 2: 6-12. Walk as Jesus did and inherit the crown that is through Christ our own.
...This brings interesting implications for those who persecute the Saints. If those who cut down God’s chosen for preaching Jesus’ redemption in his death on the Cross and his victory in Resurrection over the grave; and the Holy Spirit lives in these people who are cut down, then they are indeed cutting down the LORD God himself.
…but perhaps that is a matter for another day.
That said, what more can we ask for, than to witness the one God in this universe who created and sustains everything, through our very own eyes? As we see the faults of others and of ourselves, and forgive others and be forgiven ourselves. As we preach the Good News of Jesus and see others come to Faith; to witness God’s Spirit at work like this through our own eyes is a blessing, and unequivocally Divine in Nature.
As the LORD Jesus said, “The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak”. All you Saints would do well to keep good and godly counsel in every circumstance. Pray and stay awake, for the end is nigh. It will come like a thief in the night; and you do not want to be caught off guard.
For my counsel that night, I thank you, for your patience and pertinence; our Awesome God who blesses you with great insight and wisdom.
To our LORD God, all honour and praise be to your name for making us peacemakers on Earth for Heaven.
For our weak bodies, LORD I pray for mercy and strength from your hand; bestow it to us from Heaven that your Name will be known amongst all nations.
"Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
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