WRITING A DEVOTIONAL

WRITING A DEVOTIONAL

Back in 2003 after having spent the year before reading Sarah Ban Breathnach's book "Simple Abundance" I took her suggestion to heart and wrote my own daily devotional. Each day I took a line or two from one of the various spiritual authors from the last three centuries I was reading and wrote my own thoughts on the subject. I then looked for a scripture that illustrated the truth that had been revealed to me. What follows is the result.

"Our greatest bondage is to have our own way; our greatest freedom is to let God have His way." Warren Wiersbe

Saturday, July 30, 2011

July 30


“The freeing of the self to love God, I believe, is typical of what took place on the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were ‘all filled with the Holy Ghost’ (Acts 2:4)."  Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 7/30

Hannah says this is what happens now when people experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  We all, who trust Christ for our salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, but not all of us experience this filling that comes only when we die to self.  This is good to understand.  Too often people think they aren’t “saved” because they continue to struggle with sin in their lives.  They are so focused on that and are continually running “back to the altar” to receive Christ that they are distracted from taking care of the real problem--freeing themselves from self so that they can love God fully.  We can only love God to the extent that our hearts are turned toward Him.  We cannot love two masters we are told.  If our flesh is still in the equation we will find ourselves vacillating between the two and never fully experience the baptism of the Spirit--the freeing of oneself from all the worldly cares so that we can find rest in Christ.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  Matthew 6:21

2 comments:

  1. So very true. My heartfelt desire is to grow through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to grow closer to GOD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We cannot love two masters....once we realize what other "masters" in our lives we serve, it becomes much easier to serve only God.

      Delete