The Never Ending Story***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Widowhood provides some interesting challenges and requires adjustment in order to accept the changes it brings. 

Having lived through a divorce earlier in my life, the devastation of being betrayed and alone, dealing with the loss of what I thought was to be a lifelong relationship was offset by my younger age and the thought that I could move on and still find happiness and purpose again.

Widowhood after 31 years of marriage was like looking at a bleak end of a dark road.  Thankfully the Holy One has been with me so long and knows me and I know Him.  He is the light of life who illuminates the dark places and comforts my human emotions.

I am thankful for His steady Presence that gives me stability when my world starts to rock and roll. Thoughts of eternity become ever so important when death takes a loved one or when we feel that there are more years behind us than those ahead in our earthly journey.

This morning the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart with His encouraging words, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.  You live with Me, even now, as and in your eternal life” . 

He takes me back to His written word to confirm His spoken one.  John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and MY Father are one”.

John 14:15-18, “If you love Me you will keep My commands.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever…the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans I will come to you.” 

What a gracious statement of the Lord’s “Omnipresence”.   

As a believer in the One God sent to rescue me, I take all that He says about my eternal life to the bank.  Since eternity is my life “term” and life for me will never end, I can look at the hours, days, times and seasons from a different vantage point and perspective and see that the events of this life are just part of a wonderful never-ending story.

How different would we approach life if we really believe that truth and begin to act accordingly.  There is so much to learn.  There is so much to experience, not only here in our limited flesh body, but also beyond, when, with a glorified body that is matched to our immortal saved soul, we will actually live in complete unity with our Creator.

 

How different might we live here on earth if we really settle into our outrageous inheritance and the legacy from our Savior and Lord: Jesus the Christ.

And what of the personal relationship that we have available through the Holy Spirit from the very moment of our Salvation?  He completes us.  With the Holy Spirit I am whole, not perfect but whole.

Perfect is like being “flaw-less”.  Whole is being made complete.  Before salvation (being saved, being rescued) we are missing an integral part of our self.  We are each amazing but not complete.  We are each unique and wonderful but not complete. 

We are like a jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece; without the Holy Spirit we can never be finished.  Once we “find” Him and move to the point where we surrender to the One who in reality “found” us, we are complete and ready to go out into the world of people as His ambassador.  We are then able to accomplish the tasks that our Creator God and Heavenly Father assigns to His Beloved.

Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” and yet He said, “with Me nothing shall be impossible for you”.  Along with His promise to “Never leave us” we can take life and all the craziness in a peaceful and leisurely pace with Him in the lead. 

Looking past the limits of this “life” which before the Cross was death, we can come together with our endless purpose which is to spend eternity in creative fellowship with the Sovereign Creator God Himself. 

  

And what about God being glorified in our lives?  When we come to wholeness and are made complete in the arrival  of and melding with the 3^rd Person of the Godhead, (our indwelling Holy Spirit of Jesus Himself), we validate God’s creative genius in our design.

Humans are the only ones in the entirety of God’s amazing created universe who are made in His image.  Angels, while celestial, beautiful and quite powerful, were not created in the image of God.  Every animal while amazing after its own kind, were not created in the image of God.

Humanity is the crowning glory of God’s creative genius and as we come to what I call “Trinity unity” in relationship with Him in His way, He is glorified.  I am beginning to realize that it is not just what we do by His Spirit within that brings Him the glory He desires; it is who we are…… made complete by His Indwelling Presence that brings Him the ultimate glory as Creator. 

   

His plan for us once we are made complete is to rule and reign with Him.  We are not to compete for the Throne as did Lucifer AKA Satan, but to enjoy the privilege of relationship and wield the authority of our King as His servant but more to the truth in relationship, as His sons (and daughters).

 

Looking long range and not to the sort term trials here, I realize we are being groomed through lessons in submission here to rule and reign with Jesus throughout eternity.  Like a general who has to come up through the ranks and begins his military career as a lowly private.  We are raised up to leadership as we exhibit loyalty to the structure of Divine authority and follow the commands of our Captain. 

I am convinced that submission to the ruling authority of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the ultimate goal of our difficult days here.  Our wholeness is made evident as we allow the Spirit to over-rule our flesh responses to the challenges we face here on earth.

The fruit of His Spirit is: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience (Long suffering)  Kindness, Gentleness, Goodness, Faithfulness and Self-Control.  Our challenges/trials will come against each or all of these qualities providing a boatload of opportunities to allow the Holy Spirit to respond.  He is called the Spirit of Truth so we can expect that we will be challenged by lies and deceptions in contradiction to God's Word as well. 

  

Earth life post salvation is “Training for Reigning” and while on some days the learning curve is steep, there is no reason for the anxiety that the world feels to rob me of my peace.  Accepting the gift of Eternal life through Jesus Christ is the beginning of our never-ending story.

I praise my Jesus that He is with me and that today, no matter what it holds, is just another chapter in my personal never-ending story and an opportunity to bring Glory to His Name.

The Holy Spirit is Calling.    Can you hear Him?