Breathing crises in the church
Our Lord does not sit idly by when his people have breathing problems. He who created us and who gave himself for us knows how crucial it is to act when breathing stops.
Our Lord does not sit idly by when his people have breathing problems. He who created us and who gave himself for us knows how crucial it is to act when breathing stops.
A person can be a Christian, yet not live by the Spirit. Ah, but that's not what our Lord intends.
Today, I’m standing in the middle of a road that leads to a bridge out, sounding a cry I’ve sounded before. I’m seeking with all my heart to echo what the Lord has cried out to me when he's found me hurtling down this road. And also, I’m seeking to express what God has taught me as I've cried back to him, “I’m trying! But it’s impossible! I cannot stop!”
God saw my stifled spirit, crying out to honor him. He saw my confused soul, sabotaging the good it tried to do. Patiently, firmly, he taught me to act on my spirit's yes even when my soul was screaming no.
When someone can’t breathe, it’s time to act. Often, however, the person with this problem cannot initiate action. As we learn to live by the Breath, God may entrust us with being first responders to others who cannot breathe.
God notices when someone he loves stops breathing. He notices, and he cries out: "It’s me! Wake up! Remember how! You will come to life. You will come to life! And you will know who I AM."
Spiritual exhaling releases what God breathes into you, for the building of his kingdom and the honor of his name. Exhaling the Breath of God, you release life.
As you inhale, you’re filled with breath. As you inhale spiritually, you’re filled with the Breath of God. Spirit-to-spirit, you receive his life.
In Scripture, God makes a direct connection between breath and spirit, and so, between the act of breathing and the act of relating to him. He shows us: As breath is to the body, being filled with the Spirit and living in the power of the Spirit are vital to life in Christ.
Mini-post. Grace flows in a cycle, like the water cycle - down, out, up. Here's a quote about the downward flow, from The Esther Blessing: Grace to Reign in Life.
Today, let’s consider the impossible – and utterly delightful – challenge of mastering the language in which God speaks. It’s a challenge crucial to living by the Spirit. (And also…