LIVING IN THE SPIRIT

Do any of you ever feel like life is just plain strange?  Are we really in the kingdom for the whole load?  Or are we taking a weak stab at getting God-things right as if the church that finishes with the best score wins?

It feels so weird.  I really like being us.  Yet, so much of us feels inauthentic if not often empty.  For me, this is difficult to sort.  For the sake of us and all who follow, we must soberly ponder.

How much of what we believe, stand for, and promote is truly a kingdom-of-God thread?  And, how much of the same is the fake robe we wear inherited from tradition as well as cultural comfort?

Life in the Spirit is just so opposite of life in the selfishly-groomed flesh. The flesh is such a bossy sort.  It wants things to go its way with tints and shades of godliness. The flesh goes to churches, stands in pulpits, presides over committee meetings, and has a big say in worship preferences.

It seems that if we are not on our toes (the spiritual ones) as to our human appetites and desires that we could inadvertently slant much of what we do toward the flesh side of evaluation.

Living in the Spirit surely is extravagantly different.  Such life cannot be calculated, charted, nor measured.  It cannot be manipulated  and will not be coaxed.  Life in the Spirit is absurd to the flesh's understanding.  Examination and explanation; neither fits the rules of Spirit life.

In the Spirit, waiting is just as much an effective factor as going.  The flesh prefers the latter.  The Spirit measures eternally while the flesh compiles calendaric stats like how much?  How many?  How big?  How impressive?  Jesus had twelve.  One betrayed.  All of the rest fled.  How do you think he did with his responsibilities from heaven?  For awhile it appeared Mission Aborted.

Those closest to Jesus had to have felt the Spirit's seeming lack on Friday and Saturday.  Yet, there was nothing absent from the kingdom side.  Everything was in place at the foot of the cross, don't you know...now?  But those most intimately trained by Jesus missed it.

Yes, they were engaged in some kingdom training; but the flesh was monitoring all of the goings on to the extent it finally convinced all of the Jesus-trainees to bail.  It turned out the talk was just talk.  Villains ruled.  Life that Jesus presented proved to be only a hoax.

So they assumed.

But the Spirit--life in the Spirit--is not like the calculating, controlling, managing flesh.  He works from different standards.  Of all of those closest to Jesus and his instructions, 100% of them missed the glory.  They slipped back into junior high understanding with the conclusion all was lost.

We are to stay on the edge of our seats when working beside God.  Our judgment of what's producing and what isn't (who is and who isn't) is always suspect.  We have no fruit which would impress another.  The Holy Spirit has his and he passes it through us.  It isn't ours to muster; only to bear.

If we want to inspire a dark world to come to life, put away all brag sheets of accomplishment (books written, baptisms recorded, travels endured, and responses counted) and wait on the Spirit of God to show us results that no one could fathom ahead of time.

Our response is to be open to Him.  Such is always valuable as well as current.  Our Friday's may feel like months.  Saturday's might seem to be years.  But Sunday's with our efforts resurrected by the Spirit are eternal.  May we be found living in the Spirit.

This will take focus and attentiveness to the things from above.