Amelia ran to meet me as I walked through the front door. She half shouted, “I played my recorder and Jake played his recorder too!” From behind her back she took a blue plastic recorder. Ezra appeared, waving a green recorder and their combined demonstration was shrill and fairly deafening. I looked around for Jake, our Great Dane but he had apparently taken himself to the bedroom. “Wow!” I remarked. “That was quite a concert.” My son, Jacob, took up her tale, explaining to me that when they had come home earlier, both kids whistling with all their might, that Jake joined in and howled along. “Let me show you,” Amelia offered, starting toward my bedroom. “Play your concert for me,” I told her. “Jake’s ears work better than mine. One concert is enough for him.”
God bless all the music teachers who introduced classrooms of elementary students to the recorder year after year. When I played flute and then piccolo in marching band, my mother preferred for me to practice outside. This usually set off a chorus of neighborhood dogs. I’m embarrassed to consider what my parents’ neighbors must have thought. Lucky for them, I didn’t spend an inordinate amount of time practicing. These things are laughable but consider rather what makes you cringe? What causes you to want to cover your ears or your eyes? What makes you feel embarrassed for the person or group behaving a certain way?
Foul language and obscenity, whether in person or on a screen, causes me to literally flinch. Any person who berates another, directly or indirectly or derogatorily condemns a certain group for not sharing their own views or opinions makes me feel embarrassed for the person making the claims, reposting the memes, or giving vent to their own unbridled emotions. I do not believe this to be a purely emotional response on my part however. I am filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ. My spirit moves in concert with the Spirit of God as I abide in Christ and in His Word so it stands to reason that what is offensive to my Lord would also offend me.
“But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.”
1 Corinthians 6:17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.6.17.NLT
“And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.”
1 John 4:13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.4.13.NLT
“For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Romans 8:16 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.16.NLT
Jesus made His disciples a promise on several occasions and before He ascended to the Father, He commanded them to wait in Jerusalem for the Father to send the promised gift.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
Acts of the Apostles 1:8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/act.1.8.NLT
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would indwell every believer. He would not leave His own alone to fend for themselves. He would remain with them by the Spirit and they would be empowered to take the good news of salvation to every nation. He would teach and remind them of His Word by this same Spirit and He would reveal the future to them. We are beneficiaries of God’s many great and precious promises by faith in and obedience to Jesus.
““If you love me, obey my commandments.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.
But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
John 14:15-17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.14.15-17.NLT
““But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going.
Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you.
But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come.
If I do go away, then I will send him to you.
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard.
He will tell you about the future.
He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”
John 16:5-8, 13-14 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.16.5-8.NLT
“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.4.21-24.NLT
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you.
Such sins have no place among God’s people.
Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.
Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.
Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.
You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.
Don’t participate in the things these people do.
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord.
So live as people of light!
For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.
It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.
This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
So be careful how you live.
Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.
Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 4:29-32, 5:1-20 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.4.29-32.NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.5.1-20.NLT
As our children resemble us both genetically and ideologically, it only makes sense that children of God will resemble their Heavenly Father. What breaks God’s heart should also break mine. What grieves His Spirit should also cause me to grieve. “Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.”
1 Corinthians 13:6 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/1co.13.6.HCSB
“For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.
We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
Romans 8:22-23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.22-23.NLT
While we wait, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.13.14.NLT
Hosanna ~HillSong https://youtu.be/4krYqP324YA?is=7u0lJoMGpbLt78AZ
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