A very good friend of mine, whose blog I’ve been following, described a particular experience he’d had with the Spirit of God the other day. My contemplation, when I read about it, took me on a little stroll and here’s what came up.
It’s amazing that when you get so close to God and experience such sensitivity to the Spirit as he has described, being immersed in light (1John 1:5), how strongly every little dark dot still remaining stands out and is pending to be dealt with (repented from) before the Holy Spirit delicately moves on with you. Without being judgmental or anything it seems a lot of Christians are habitually quite far off from that kind of spiritual awareness; some more, some less, it applies to most, including myself. Like an elephant in a china store we grope in the dark hitting furniture, things falling over, lots of noise. The Christian walk can be rough with much labor to put the carnal mind under, sometimes with great struggle to get anywhere at all while missing all the delicate nuances of the guidance of the Spirit. But we are to learn to enjoy that walk, not endure. It’s like comparing a construction worker’s heavy climb on the stairs with half a dozen bricks in his lap, dust and sweat flying all over versus an elegant figure skating dance on ice with gentle music. Shouldn’t those bricks of besetting sin be the first things to be put down before God? And don’t forget to leave them there for good once you stand up from your knees. Then a good shower and a change of garment would be nice (Heb 9:14, Gal 3:27, Rev 7:14). What does it take to metamorphose that clumsy construction worker into an ethereal ice skating ballerina? Is it humanly possible? No. But what is impossible with men is possible with God. If you earnestly seek Him (Jer 29:13), He will create in you a new heart (Ps 51:10, 2 Cor 5:17).
It’s by the grace of God only that man can endeavor such intimacy and holiness with the Lord and be led by the Spirit of God. It is He who equips us and by the Spirit strengthens us to be able to attain precious promises humanly unattainable, not by works. But the path is still ours to walk in all faith, obedience and endurance, once the calling of God is recognized in the heart. It’s in that kind of oneness with Him that we begin to comprehend the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of God (Eph 3:16-19). Until we put childish things behind us and become a man in Christ, we see only half way, darkly (1 Cor 13:12) and miss the fine detail of God’s blueprint (1 Cor 3:1-3). But when we earnestly seek Him and step into the light of His glory, grow from milk to solid food, when the Word of God becomes flesh in our lives and Christ is formed in us, … Oh, the love of the Lord from the whole heart not to settle with anything less than that kind of sanctification (1 Thes 4:3,7, Heb 12:14) and intimate oneness with the Lord (John 17:21), and the determination with all your soul to walk worthy of His calling with which you have been called, and the endurance with all your His strength (Eph 6:10, Isa 40:31) it takes to work out your salvation (Phil 2:12) and finish your course (Heb 12:1).