SeniorSeeker
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[size=large]Integrity in Our Spiritual Lives[/size]
A young man purchased a pleasure boat with a nice little motor and trailer. The unit appeared clean and satisfactory, and, being purchased second hand, it was not too expensive. Eager to try out his new acquisition, he took some friends and drove out to the public slip and launched the boat. It ran well, and the group made their way to a small island off the mainland in Lake Ontario. Beaching the little boat, they explored the island and returned to the boat to head home. A short distance out, a splashing sound alerted them to the fact that they were taking on water. Quickly, the boat capsized, dumping the three friends into the chilly waters. A most fortunate rescue forestalled serious repercussions. What happened? A single rotted timber was found in the base of the hull that, with the wave action on the beach, had led to a split in the wood. Just one bad piece, out of all the others, was enough to overturn the boat.
How similar can it be in our lives, as well? We might be so solid, so faithful, so firm and unwavering in so many ways, and yet with one area in which we have not surrendered to the Lord, one sinful area we seek to hold onto, we can find ourselves in deep moral, spiritual and even physical trouble.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (New King James Version) Appreciation of the Mystery "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." What is Paul saying to us here? How does this bear on our personal integrity? How can we experience these promises in our own lives?
So much is promised us in these texts. The Holy Spirit can strengthen us from within; that is, He can change us, not like some cosmetic surgery but more like heart surgery, something working deep within us. And this change comes to us by faith, by knowing the reality of God
A young man purchased a pleasure boat with a nice little motor and trailer. The unit appeared clean and satisfactory, and, being purchased second hand, it was not too expensive. Eager to try out his new acquisition, he took some friends and drove out to the public slip and launched the boat. It ran well, and the group made their way to a small island off the mainland in Lake Ontario. Beaching the little boat, they explored the island and returned to the boat to head home. A short distance out, a splashing sound alerted them to the fact that they were taking on water. Quickly, the boat capsized, dumping the three friends into the chilly waters. A most fortunate rescue forestalled serious repercussions. What happened? A single rotted timber was found in the base of the hull that, with the wave action on the beach, had led to a split in the wood. Just one bad piece, out of all the others, was enough to overturn the boat.
How similar can it be in our lives, as well? We might be so solid, so faithful, so firm and unwavering in so many ways, and yet with one area in which we have not surrendered to the Lord, one sinful area we seek to hold onto, we can find ourselves in deep moral, spiritual and even physical trouble.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (New King James Version) Appreciation of the Mystery "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." What is Paul saying to us here? How does this bear on our personal integrity? How can we experience these promises in our own lives?
So much is promised us in these texts. The Holy Spirit can strengthen us from within; that is, He can change us, not like some cosmetic surgery but more like heart surgery, something working deep within us. And this change comes to us by faith, by knowing the reality of God
Ma Betty