Acts 19:21
"When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit when had had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.'"
A few days back, I wrote of how the Spirit often forbids our activity to accomplish God's will. Likewise, the Spirit reaches out and touches us so that we pursue God's purposes for our lives, even when this means we leave behind what most would deem to be good choices.
When at a cross roads on his missionary journey, the Spirit touches Paul's mind so he purposed to go to Jerusalem and then on to Rome. We don't know how the Spirit did this, nor how he speaks to our minds today, but just as surely as Paul understood the Lord's will in this purpose, so the Spirit speaks to us today.
I've always been amazed by how the Spirit changes the desires and purposes of the heart of those who willing to follow after God's will. It often begins with a new interest in something, is enforced by having our eyes opened to a great spiritual need, and is followed by the submission of our will to God's purposes. The Spirit is at work, and when this work is completed, God's purposes become our purposes.
I've heard this explained as having our "want to" changed. When we surrender in faith to Christ, we begin to want to do what the Spirit wills. We want to go where the Spirit would have us go. We want to dream the way the Spirit wants us to dream. And on and on. Our purposes in life change when we submit to the Spirit.
Quite frankly, no believer desires to suffer, sacrifice, be sent to some of the places where the gospel needs to be preached, or any number of other things that God wills to accomplish his purposes. But when we submit our hearts to God, even these assignments become our joy.
In our church, none of those family members left behind during an Army deployment desire the suffering and sacrifice which they endure during lengthy family separations. But still, this is God's will for these families. The Spirit has assembled the church together exactly where he wants these people. And when the church submits to the Spirit, we begin to be used of God and find joy in the Spirit's purposes.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I invite you to change my heart and my mind so that my purposes in life are changed to equal your desires. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment