Spiritual Subsistence or Spiritual Riches?

When we grow up in a church, we hardly suspect there is anything more than "going to church."  We are living in spiritual subsistence, barely ekeing out spiritual survival from week to week.  Sunday observance has little or no relationship to the rest of the week.

But God is not a God of Sundays only; from the beginning, He wanted to walk with us, accompany us throughout life, sharing in all things (for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health).  We have kept Him out of our lives by not desiring His Presence. 

The Spirit of God is a gentleman; He does not go where He is not wanted; He does not intrude on lives that are doing "just fine" without His guidance.  If we want to go our own way, so be it.  Henry David Thoreau put it this way;

The work we do for God,

God blesses;

The work we call our own,

God leaves alone.

When we come to the end of our own resources and strength, however, there is One Who is waiting for us, One Who has never given up hoping that we are ready for His companionship and support.  One Who has promised to open the windows of heaven and pour out His resources into our lives. 

Jesus promised "rivers of living water" to those who are thirsty.  But here's the catch: we have to be thirsty.  We have to yearn for the promised water in order to receive it.  Our hungering and thirsting for the Spirit is the necessary condition for receiving Him.  God does not give His gifts lightly.

Without the Gift of the Holy Spirit, we do not have:

• Personal awareness of God's love
• Conviction of who Christ is
• A message of real help to others
• The right words to speak in times of stress
• Comprehension of scripture
• Help in our weakness
• Freedom from slavery to sin and harmful habits
• The gifts of the Spirit
• The fruits of the Spirit
• Joy
• Renewal
• Guidance from God
• Spiritual healing
• The ability to set our minds or to love the things of God
• Help with our prayer
• The pledge of eternal life

Jesus said in Luke 11 to ask and to keep on asking, and it shall be given to you;

seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door shall be opened to you.

In the Greek, all the verbs ask, seek, and knock denote continuing action---like continuing to knock until our knuckles are bleeding.   So the first thing to ask for is a real hunger and thirst that won't give up until the Spirit is poured out into our hearts and lives.

Now the confidence we have in him is this, that he listens to us whenever we ask anything in accordance with his will; and if we know that he listens to whatever we ask, we know we obtain the requests we have made to him (I Jn. 5:14).

(The following is excerpted from Katherine Marshall's prayer:) 

Yet, Lord, I know that the gift of the Spirit is not for my joy alone; rather He is given as power for service.  You alone can kindle in my heart the deep, fervent desire to be used like that.  Take from me lukewarmness.  Give me Your own holy passion.  Thank you, Lord. Amen.