Dear Femi, I can’t believe I forgot your birthday. It is really not a matter of “out of sight is out of mind” because you were very much on my mind on that day but I just did not remember it was “the birthday”. I hope you know that you are very special to me. Let me use this opportunity to wish you a happy birthday in arrears.
Femi is someone that became my friend not long ago but has come to mean so much to me more recently. He is not perfect but I look at how much has happened in His life since we became friends, which is really just a few months ago, and when I measure it against the transformation in my own life within that period of time, I just know I need to work on my submission to God. Like we say in Nigeria, “He is work in Progress” just like anyone of us but he makes me worry about the measure of my ‘progression’. God is looking for a people that will submit to Him (i.e. submit to the Holy Spirit) and walk away from the flesh. It is to the extent that we walk away from the flesh that we make progress in our walk with God.
Romans 2: 29NLT “No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather it is a change of heart produced by God’s spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, and not from people.”
Unlike me who forgot Femi’s birthday, God never forgets anyone of us and remembers the details of our lives. Not only are our names engraved on the palms of His hands, His eyes consistently watch over us so that He can show Himself strong on the behalf of anyone of us needing help. The same way the bible tells us that He looks watching to see if we are being fruitful. He looks to see if we have fruits of the spirit. It is as we yield to the Spirit of God that the Holy Spirit inside of us begins to increase and blossom like a tree then eventually begins to produce fruit. When we invite Jesus into our lives, God plants His seed (the Holy Spirit) in us. The seed can either die or become fruitful. Is the tree producing fruit in you? The measure of our Christianity (Christ likeness) is not in how spiritual we look or how many times we go to church or the office we hold in church or what denomination we belong to; it is in the extent to which we bear fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5: 22-25NLT “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
There is always an outward manifestation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God In a man cannot be hidden. What fruits do you bear and are you increasing in your fruit bearing. It is time to make a realistic assessment.
I thank God for His Word. In your last blog you said we should focus on His Word. Even when Lazarus died He really was going to live! That can't be easy to believe. In the same way God who has commanded us to be fruitful has made the provision. We just need to believe and act like people that believe. When we act contrary we deny the power thereof and fail to bear fruit.
ReplyDeleteMAy God give us to grace to hold on to Him and whatever He asks us to do in Jesus' Name