Flags around town are at half-mast again. It’s hard to keep up with the string of tragedies that continue to happen in our state, nation and world. Recently I was exchanging messages with some friends in a group text as we lamented a recent natural disaster and traded prayer requests. At one point, someone suggested that the times seemed ripe for Jesus to return.
In Matthew 24:1-14, Jesus uses the analogy of a woman in labor to describe the “birth pangs” the earth will experience in preparation for His return. He describes the wars, famines, earthquakes, and persecutions that will be signs that the “end of the age” is near.
Paul adds his own thoughts to what will characterize the last days before Jesus returns:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NIV)
Reading those descriptions of the last days only magnifies the feelings that they are upon us. There is not one thing on those lists that we don’t see regularly. Sometimes I’m tempted to withdraw into my own little world so I don’t have to confront feelings of fear or defeat. But with the right focus, these dark times can be an opportunity to shine the light and hope found through Jesus in a world that desperately needs Him.
Beth Moore puts her own spin on this idea saying, “The world has gone mad but we don’t have to go mad with it. We are the people drenched by the Holy Spirit, defined by the Son of God and dogged by a hoard of demons. We need God’s wonders. We long for His wonders. We pray for His wonders. And I believe we will see many wonders. But one of the most grown-up realities we will ever accept is that we are His wonders with the greatest potential impact on the lost, the cynical, and the hopeless.” (Beth Moore, Entrusted p. 116)
Let that statement sink in for a moment: WE ARE HIS WONDERS WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE LOST. This is not the time to withdraw in defeat, but to ask God to equip us so we can engage our cynical, hopeless world. Through His Spirit, God can use us to make a difference in the lives of people wandering in darkness:
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’… So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:13-14, 16, 22-25, NIV)
Our lives look different from the rest of the world when we walk by the Spirit. Just compare the descriptions from 2 Timothy and Galatians above and you’ll see what I mean. The more open we are to being filled by the Holy Spirit, the more His fruit will show in our lives. No believer is exempt because everyone who accepts Christ receives the Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 states it plainly: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
Being filled with the Spirit is not just a single event, it is an ongoing process.
Imagine a thimble filled with water. It’s at capacity, not another drop could fit inside. Now imagine a drinking glass. It’s bigger, so more water fits inside. Finally, imagine a swimming pool brimming over with water. Each of these containers has a limit and once it is exceeded, it will overflow. The bigger the container, the more the surroundings will get wet when it does.
In the same way, the Spirit impacts those around us as He fills us so full that we begin to overflow. But unlike a fixed-size container, our ability to receive Him increases each time He fills us and we pour Him out. I think that’s what Joel 2:28 describes when the Lord says: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
Paul had an ocean-sized capacity for the Holy Spirit because he invited His filling so often. He prayed bold prayers and asked God to move, and He did. He spoke with authority and acted courageously because the Spirit was flowing through him. The fruit of the Spirit was abundantly evident in his life.
Whether our capacities for the Spirit are more in line with a thimble, a glass, or something bigger, there is always room for expansion. If you want to be one of God’s wonders, then invite the Holy Spirit’s power to move in your life. Try praying something like this daily: “Lord, pour out your Spirit on me. Increase my capacity to receive you and let your fruit be evident in my life.”
As we begin to see the world through the light of God’s love, we not only see His wonders, we become His wonders. Click on the link and revel in this truth listening to “Wonder” by Hillsong United.
photo courtesy of pixabay.com
Beth Moore, Entrusted: A Study of 2 Timothy, Lifeway Press 2016.