Bible
Study: 1st Corinthians 3, 1 to 9 and Luke 4, 38 to 44.
Being in
the spirit is the ability to know the mind of God and penetrate deep realities
that are beyond the reach of ordinary human reasoning. This is something that
takes careful practice and growth. And the way to grow in the Spirit is through
an awareness of the presence of God in our everyday life. It is a conscious and
deliberate effort on our part to see the hand of God around us, within us and
inside other people who we meet on a daily basis. To grow in the spirit is to
develop a sense of God. It is having a living fear of God rising out of the
realization of his actual presence right here right now.
The
difference between the natural man and the spiritual man is that while the
natural man finds it difficult to see the hand of God at work in his daily
life, the spiritual man is always conscious of God’s presence. For the natural
man, things happen out of mere coincidence but for the spiritual man, God is
always working things out. For the natural man, God is far away in heaven and
does not care about what is happening here, but for the Spiritual man, God is everywhere
around us right here right now.
For the
natural man, people are stars because they have talents and abilities but for
the spiritual man, people are what they are because God is working through
them. This was the problem of the Corinthian Church, there was envy and rivalry
in their midst because they were very much in the natural. There was division
in their midst, some said “I am for Paul” others were saying “I am for
Apollos”. They were blind to see that both Paul and Apollos were simply men
empowered by the Spirit – simply God’s co-workers.
One way to
know if you are very much in the natural is when you examine your conscience
and notice the presence of envy. Envy is a feeling of hatred for others because
they are able to do things which you cannot do or have talents which you do not
have. The cure for envy is a realization that all human beings are essentially
the same; that all human beings are essentially equal; that all human beings
are essentially made of flesh and blood; that, it is the Spirit that makes the
difference. The cure for envy is an awareness that you are capable of also
doing things which other people cannot do if only you are open to be used by
the Spirit of God. The cure for envy is never to look at other people like gods
but to see the hand of God at work in them and give God glory rather than give
worship to ordinary human beings.
Jesus
having left the synagogue went to the house of Simon where he cured his
mother-in-law of fever and when news of his arrival reached the town, they
brought so many sick people to him and even those possessed by demons and he
cured them all. As soon as it was dark, he went to a quiet place all by himself
to pray, an acknowledgement that it was by the power of the Spirit he was able
to work great miracles. Jesus would always go to a quiet place to pray as a
sign of humility to refuel from the Spirit.
So long as
we are open to the Spirit of God and allow ourselves grow in holy things, we
would begin to do those things we admire in others. The life of the Apostles
should serve as an inspiration to us. In Matthew 17, a man brought his son to
the Apostles to cure him of a demonic possession but the evil spirit disgraced
them. Jesus was not with them, he had gone up to the mountain with Peter, James
and John where he was transfigured. When he came back, he as ashamed of the
Apostle who could not cure the boy and said to them: “You faithless and
perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I
put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it
came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Matthew 17, 17 to 18.
However, when the read the Acts of the Apostles, you immediately notice that
these same Apostles were now miracle workers. What happened? They grew in the
Spirit.
Our level
of achievement in the spiritual realm depends on our growth. A child learning
A, B, C cannot solve a quadratic equation. So the question is: “Am I growing in
my spiritual life?”
Let Us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, save me from spiritual stagnation. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu
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