Our Father has such a unique way of being continually creative in blessing us: realizing that His insights in providing just the right things at the right times, to benefit me most, boggle my head.
Our progress on renovating this home heating system is going well. It’s nowhere near completion but I reflect with pleasure on how the right people and practical resources have been appearing at just the right times. The hard granite rock taking up the space under our house where the furnace should go, and which Laura prefers that I don’t use dynamite on (!), is chipping out slower than I’d prefer, BUT our constant drilling and chiseling is making indentations!
I mentioned an angry neighbour in an earlier note. (She’s actually a heartache to several neighbours!) I’d love your prayers on how to be insightfully innovative in bringing her round to discover the God with whom she is ultimately angry at.
Did you know that the word ‘heart’ appears between 300 and 900 times in Scripture? The number depends on which version you read. The reason for such variance seems to be the difficulty that translators have had in determining whether the author was referring to a person’s spirit or their soul … so they translated ‘heart’. The issue is so huge that some theologians summarize that people are four part beings: ‘spirit, heart, soul and body’. Either way the term refers to the core of our being. It is that part which is most susceptible to God’s input. Unfortunately it frequently gets squelched by ‘soul’ dominance.
I think of how many sermons I’ve preached with no response from the audience; how many conversations I’ve had that just didn’t go anywhere; so many study groups I’ve participated in that didn’t get to the heart; so many witnessing opportunities I’ve muddled up. I’ve also experienced times when people have responded almost miraculously. That has happened enough so that I know that heart to heart (or spirit to spirit) exchanges can be made, especially the ones that are open for Father’s stimulation. That gives me a glimpse of how effective life in the spirit, as governed by The Spirit, can be. I yearn for that to be continuous. But I frequently relate too well with Esau, the man’s man. His soul ran his spirit leaving his life dry and useless. Evidence is rare that he communicated God’s Spirit to his legacy.
Responsibility weighs heavily on me regarding my role in spiritually reaching the spirit of individuals. That includes those kids in Germany AND my niggly neighbour. Intercession for insightful innovation is certainly appreciated …. john
May you be blessed with seeking to live with your spirit saturated with the essential virtues of faith, hope, and love.
“May your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete and found blameless. I Thessalonians 5:23
(original post July 26, 2015)
