The Storm

Mark 4:34 – 41: On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

This is such a famous passage. One that we often go to when going through life’s storms. In it, we can find solace that God is with us during our struggles and He will calm those angry seas. However, one day as reading this passage I saw things in a slightly different light. A light I hadn’t seen before.

The first thing that struck me is that Jesus and His disciples were moving forward, together. Duh right? “Let us cross over to the other side”. Jesus doesn’t want us to stay stagnant in our lives, nor does He want us to stay in our comfort zones. When we are not moving, we are not being challenged to grow. We can become complacent and ineffective in our walk with God unless we move beyond what we know, to a place we’re not yet familiar with. Yet, God never said that we would go alone. He said “Let us cross over to the other side”. He’ll gladly go with us.

I also noticed that the disciples perceived that Jesus was uncaring and not doing His part to help them through their storm.

“But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Luke 4:38 NKJV)

How many times have we asked that same question when going through trials? “Where are You Lord and why aren’t you helping me?” What we keep forgetting is that He said He was going to cross over with us. He already told the disciples they were going to get there. There is no question in His voice. No doubts in His sentence. All the disciples needed as a little faith.

Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. Have you ever wondered what if the disciples hadn’t doubted that they’d make it to the other side? What if they had “Fear(ed) Not”? When I read what the disciples asked Jesus, I can’t help but hear from a mother’s ear. I hear them whining and attempting to move Jesus to action by doubting His love for them. Yet, He still calmed the storm. How many times has God calmed our storms when we came to Him whining? What if we had trusted Him to begin with? Have you ever wondered if there may have been something even better at the end if Jesus had not intervened? The fact is we don’t always know what’s best. We struggle to see past the moment, and just as the storms are starting to get us out of our comfort zone, we run complaining to Daddy. Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean that God isn’t in our smaller struggles. He said He’d be with them right? I’m also not saying that you don’t go to God in prayer during our storms. God commands us to pray. We do not have because we do not ask. But maybe it’s what and how we ask that is the key to finding fulfillment. Because maybe, just maybe, we were meant to persevere to the end. Perhaps what lay at the other side was more valuable and better appreciated after getting a little wet.

Finally, I noticed that Jesus did more than calm the storm.

“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39 NKJV)

Jesus (1) Rebuked the wind and (2) calmed the seas. The waves were not the storm, they were the consequence of the storm. When Jesus exclaimed “Peace, be still!” He silenced the resulting waves that kept the boat tossing about. Praise God! Let’s not look at this passage and say Jesus is just with us through our storm, let’s proclaim that Jesus is with us through the aftermath as well! There are times I deserve some waves, and I think sometimes God lets a few come crashing through. But I need to stay reminded He is there with me even then. And maybe, just maybe, when I ride out some of those waves, I’ll have something of value waiting for me on the other shore.

The Personal Touch

Sometimes I like to relive the little snippets God revealed to me in the past and make it fresh and new in my mind and heart once again. Tonight I got a whole three verses into my Bible study before I felt the need to write just a bit on one of the things I find so cool about my Amazing God. Let’s see if you catch it.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

Throughout the creation story, God spoke all things into existence. But when it came time to create man, a creature He was creating for Himself, a creature He wanted to have a personal relationship with, God got down and dirty. God could have just said “Let there be man”, but instead, he knelt down the earth he had created only three days before and formed man with His own two hands.

But don’t be fooled in thinking that God ONLY formed Adam and Eve with His very own Hands. Psalm 139:13 says “For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb”. Isaiah proclaims God forming us in the womb at least three times and then again in Jeremiah. God formed you too.

Oh how I love the personal touch of my Savior. I think He touches us every day. We may not always feel it, but He does. Today was probably one of the most beautiful days outside I’d seen here in Ohio for quite some time. The sun was out, the air was warm, the breeze was cool. You know, I love the wind. I picture that it’s very likely that the breeze that touches your face and warms your heart is the hand of your Maker telling you He loves you.

Much like a child I long to feel the arms of my Father. Many a time, I have prayed to God and we’ve talked about that. In heaven, I’m sure I’ll love to look upon the streets of gold and all the glitter and glitz. I’m sure I’ll be happy to see fellow saints of God as we can truly be neighbors, but what I long for the most isn’t a room of my own that God’s preparing for me, but to feel the personal touch of my Saviour when He wraps His arms wrapped around me. Now THAT will be heaven.

Old / New Testament

A few years ago I wrote a response for a friend of mine (love you!) who asked me why we needed the New Testament when we already had the Old Testament. Today another friend and co-worker requested that I post my response to her here on my blog, so... here you go! :)

There are several reasons why the new testament was written, but first let me explain why the OLD testament was written:

The Old Testament

1. The Old Testament is a historical account and description of man's sin problem. We need to understand that God created us to have a relationship with him. In Genesis, God said "Let us make man in OUR image". This implies that God is tertiary, much the same way that we are. God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Man was created in the same manner. We have a Mind, Body and Soul (or Spirit). Man rebelled against God's will. Through this disobedience, sin and decay entered into man and the world. Sin is a literal term. It comes from Archery. If the Archer missed the bull's-eye, then they said "sin" meaning that they missed the mark. The penalty for sin (singular... not plural) is death. Death didn't mean just physical death, although when you look through Genesis, you begin to see the slow decay of man physically as they began to live shorter and short lives, but it really represents a spiritual death. This is a separation from God our creator who made us for a relationship with Him.

2. The Old Testament detailed what would be necessary for man to re-establish that relationship with God. Unfortunately, that is perfection. Since the bull's-eye is perfection, you can see that all of us miss the mark. Understanding that God is Holy God, he cannot be in the presence of sin. This means that if we have sin in our lives that is not paid for, then we cannot enter into a close relationship with Him. The law was given by God through Moses to show how IMPOSSIBLE it is for man to keep the law and attain this perfection on our own apart from God.

3. The Old Testament foretells / prophesies the coming of a perfect sacrifice that would not just cover sin (as the priests were doing with the blood of their sacrifices), but would completely remove the sins and restore the relationship God originally intended. A good illustration is crayon marks on the walls. The Mosaic law required animal sacrifices to cover the sins of the people. This would be like putting a fresh coat of paint over the crayon marks on the walls. The crayon is still there, but you can't see it. Jesus came as a perfect sacrifice. His sacrifice wouldn't just cover their sins but would Remove them. That was like taking... let's say... a "Magic Eraser" pad and cleaning the crayon from the walls. It's not covered... it's gone.

The New Testament

1. The New Testament is the account of the fulfillment of the Old Testament covenant and the establishment of the New Testament covenant. Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies given in the Old Testament. I love this. Jesus Christ fulfilled 60 major Old Testament prophecies that were made over 400 years before His birth. He fulfilled 29 in ONE DAY. The statistical probability of one man fulfilling just eight of these prophesies are 1 in 10 to the 17th power. I love this so I have to share it.... This would be the same as taking 100,000,000,000,000,000 quadrillion silver dollars and spreading them across the state of Texas, they would fill the entire state of Texas two feet deep. Then take one silver dollar and mark it with an X and toss it in the pile and stir the whole pile thoroughly... then blindfolded, walk the entire width and length of the state stooping down only once to pick up one silver dollar along the way and finding that THAT was the one with the X on it. That's just 8 prophesies fulfilled not the 60 that Jesus did.

2. The New Testament covenant requires the acceptance of the gift of salvation already given to everyone, by Jesus's sacrifice, but not accepted by every one. It's much like an unopened gift. Christ gave the gift of salvation for all, but in order to have it, it has to be accepted. I use an illustration with the youth like this. I take out a $5 bill and ask them if they believe that it is a $5. Obviously it is. I then present it to a teen and say that I am giving the $5 to them as a gift. Before they have a chance to take it, I ask them... does ____ have my gift of $5? No, because they haven't taken it from me. It doesn't make it less real or less of a gift, but it's not theirs yet. It's not until they accept the gift that they can benefit from it.

3. The New Testament foretells the completion of God's original plan which was to have a relationship with His beloved creation. Through Christ, the payment for our sin has been paid. Those that have taken part in the New Testament covenant (since a covenant has two parties... us and God) through the acceptance of Christ's sacrifice have a relationship with Him here on earth and a promise of heaven where we will have uncorrupted relationship with Him.

4. The New Testaments give believers in Christ a mission which is to tell other's about God's gift.
It was weird. The same day that I was asked this question, I got something in the mail and it had this on the back of a bookmark in it:

The New Testament is CONTAINED in the Old Testament
The Old Testament is EXPLAINED in the New Testament
The New Testament is CONCEALED in the Old Testament
The Old Testament is REVEALED in the New Testament
The New Testament AUTHENTICATES the Old Testament
The Old Testament ANTICIPATES the New Testament
The New Testament LIES HIDDEN in the Old Testament
The Old Testament LIES OPEN in the New Testament
The Old Testament PREDICTS a Person
The New Testament PRESENTS that Person

God's SO cool!

Thirsty anyone?

What is the most essential element of life? Ask any scientist and they’ll probably say water. I have to say, I think I agree…

As I sat down to do my Bible study tonight, I felt God say “Start over”. That’s seems to be a theme with God and me lately. Where do I go next Lord? Go back to the beginning and start over! So… off to Genesis I turned. It’s funny, I didn’t get 2 verses into the first chapter before God captured my mind.

I read the first verse, and found my highlights and notes scribbled to the side

Verse 1: “In the beginning God (my notes highlighting God = Elohim, meaning God in plural of majesty or intestiy) created the heavens and the earth.”

But then, there it was. I know I’d read it a million times. I’ve even made note of it in my thoughts once or twice and marveled, but I never really REALLY thought about it.

Verse 2: “Now the earth was formless and empty (my scribbled notes highlighting the earth was in “chaos”), darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

Water! God started with water! So many times we just think God started with open space. But that’s not what the Bible says. God started with WATER! Why would that be so important? My mind is just reeling! I started to write it down and realized I can’t write that fast. Thank God I can TYPE fast!

Oh, how precious water is! The earth is 2/3 water. Our bodies are 2/3 water. Water is the essence of LIFE. Nothing on this earth can exist without it. It’s essential for survival. Food, we can go days maybe even weeks without, but water? No, it’s far more essential. Even the air we breathe has water in it. Anyone living in Ohio right now knows sometimes it has a LOT of water in it lol. Quite simply, water is the basis of life.

The bible is full of stories about water. In Genesis, creation tells of God starting with water, separating the sky from the waters, separating the dry land from the waters and even filling the waters with life. The Bible gives details on the waters flowing through the Garden of Eden. Later in Genesis we see God use water to cleanse the earth through the great flood. Water saved a baby from being murdered (Moses), saved a people from annihilation (God parting the Red Sea), found Isaac a wife, and that’s barely scratching the surface, not to mention it’s not even past the second book of the Bible!

On the banks of the Jordan River, Jesus was baptized, setting the example to those of us who would follow Him in His death, burial and resurrection. “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased”. Oh I hope He is pleased with me! Wash me and cleanse me in Your Sprit Lord! You are my desire. How I so desire just to make You smile!

Jesus turned water into wine, walked on water, oh, and He asked for water to drink. “Will you give me a drink” Jesus asked the woman at the well. He asked this of the woman who drew her water during the hottest part of the day so as to avoid the other women of the town. The woman who was a Samaritan, a people hated by the Jews, yet Jesus spoke to her. In return He offered her Himself, the “Living Water”. Water that would well up in her as a spring of eternal life. Oh that Living Water! Revelation tells us that the Living Water will flow from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the broad street. On it’s banks will be the Tree of Life whose leaves will heal the nations and there will no longer be the curse. Praise God!

But I cannot forget one of my favorite passages with water at its core. When the Savior of the world, my God and King, wrapped a towel around his waist, knelt down before His disciples and performed the most humiliating of tasks by washing their dirty, bruised, and blistered feet. Oh what a Savior! Oh to have a servants heart!

So much more can be said about water. I haven’t even SCRATCHED the surface. It is the essential of life, and the Living Water is the essential of eternal life. There are no others. He came so that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.

You’d be hard pressed to convince me that God doesn’t have a sense of humor. I find it comical, as I have typed this, I found myself thirsty. I mean, who wouldn't with all this water talk. I turn to my bedside and grab the bottle of water there to take a drink and find these words written on the label “Pure Life”. Amen! Well Lord, this message was brought to You by the one who thirsts for water, both liquid and eternal.

FYI - Fruit... grows

A dear friend of mine (Terri... you know who you are) and I used to amuse ourselves about how life taught us one thing concerning prayer... we won't pray for patience. Why you say? Well, I wrote the following for my friend John when he asked me why. Of course today, Gabi said the hardest fruit of the Spirit for her is patience, and I promised her this mini-lesson to her. Enjoy and Smile!

The definition of Patience is in and of itself enduring or waiting. It's willful and deliberate, and doesn't just happen. Patience is mentioned several times in the Bible, but in no case is it ever simply granted, at least that I can find.

Colossians 1:11 says "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; ..." Patience therefore is attained, not just bestowed. Based on this scripture, I would say it's far better to pray for strength than for patience :) Later in Colossians (3:12) it states that we should "put on" patience. Again an action with purpose.

Patience is listed as a fruit of the Spirit, along with Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Goodness and Faithfulness. The very nature of fruit is that it's produced. It grows, and is a sign of health. Love grows, Joy grows, Peace grows, etc... They grow as a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit within each believer. All these fruit are characteristics that must grow, they are not inherent and are not gifted to us. We learn to be loving, we learn to be kind, we learn to be faithful. They are not part of our inherent nature.

So... this is why I don't pray for patience, because it is learned and it is grown... in order for it to grow, God will put me in situations where patience is required and thus... I learn to be patient. I figure that in life, I've got lots of life lessons that teach me patience without adding a few for good measure!

How Many Kings

At Christmastime I was introduced to a song that I instantly fell in love with. This song is sung from the perspective of the wise men who sought out the child Savior to worship. I’ve thought about singing it, but yeah… we’ll cross that fear of mine one of these days. Anyway, I’m so thankful that this song didn’t disappear following Christmas as it’s still being played on the radio today. The song is called “How many kings” and is sung by the band Down Here. It is this song that has inspired this lesson.

Before we dive into this, I think it’s important to look at the lyrics:

Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in His mother’s shawl
Just a child. Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cuz, how many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And, how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many Fathers gave up their Sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have where the costly are meek
Because we believe
Gold for His honor
And Frankensence for His pleasure
And Myrrh for the cross He’ll suffer
Do you believe?
Is this who we’ve waited for?

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And, how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me
All for me. All for you.

The bible is full of titles of God. I’m sure we’ve all heard Jesus being called King of kings and Lord of lords as in Rev 19:16: “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”, but having heard this song, I realized, like many other things concerning God and His Word, these are so much more than just titles. All too often we think so superficially and never really dive into what God really gave up to be the sacrifice that bridged the gap between us and God. Listening to this, I thought it would be cool to break it apart to see the truths in it in relation to God’s Word and work.

“How many kings” is sung from the perspective of the wise men. We don’t know how many wise men there were. Traditionally it’s taught that there were three wise men, but honestly that’s just because they gave three gifts. It’s quite possible there were many more. These were men of wealth and knowledge. They were learned men who investigated the stars and studied scrolls. Somewhere in their research they happened upon a new star and recognized it as the indicator of the new King. Do you think that they expected to be seeking a child? (( PAUSE ))

Ok, this is purely for my benefit as this is a pet peeve of mine, but perhaps you can learn from this too. My pet peeve is this… the wise men were not at the manger scene. Matthew 2:11 says “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Notice that they entered their HOUSE and that Jesus was a YOUNG CHILD. This is also why Herrod had all children under the age of 2 slaughtered in fear of being dethroned. Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming. ((UNPAUSE))

These wise men may not have expected a child Savior. But then again, neither did the Jews. They were seeking a triumphant warrior king to save them from their enemies, not a King who came to save them spiritually through servitude and suffering. When you think of a Savior… a Messiah… do you think of a helpless, fully dependent infant child? Most likely not.

But, rather than a continued Christmas lesson I want to look at the Chorus for our song.

Cuz, how many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And, how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many Fathers gave up their Sons for me?

I have to admit I’d never actually thought about what it meant to be a lord or a king prior to hearing this song. Have you? A king has all he wants. He is served and has no need of anything. His every whim is catered to. Yet, the King of the universe (which He created), stepped down from His throne and WILLINGLY gave up being catered to, gave up His comforts and gave up much of His power (if only temporarily) and came to a world that is fallen and riddled with the effects of sin.

What about a lord? What was the life of a lord like? If you were to look up the word “lord” in the dictionary, you’d find several definitions. Wholistically, a lord is a title of honor to someone with great power and authority. Many times they are land owners and often the proprietor of a manor. These men want for little. They own much property. Stuff… They have stuff. What would you do if you were asked to give up your stuff? Would you walk away from it entirely? Who would you give it up for? God gave up everything for you. He stood up and walked out of His home with nothing so that He could enter into this world without a penny, born in the lowliest of conditions and later working with His hands to earn a living with His earthly family. Why? We’ll get to that one later.

Greatest of all. God is most definitely the Greatest. Simply stated, the Greatest in all the universe became the lowliest of all created. No pomp and circumstance. No glory and honor. A human. Able to be wounded and scarred.

“How many gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many Fathers gave up their Sons for me?” That right there says it all. Have you ever been “romanced”? Have you ever felt that gentle tug of emotion and love when the object of your affections does something for you? Why would God want to romance you? What makes us worthy of His love? Are we? Ah, well therein lies the heart of Christianity and also the end of this lesson… why? Because that my friends is the beginning of another lesson all together! But know this, God desires a relationship with you. He loves you more than you could fatham. God loved you so much He stepped down from His throne, left His home, became the least of all creation… just to be with you.

In His Image

I miss teaching. I cannot deny it. God gave me a love of teaching. One morning while praying on my long drive to work, God seemed to give me this lesson, reaffirming it in my mind, and I thought the best way to share it was via Facebook. Why not? I’ll just teach here! Read it or not, I am going to enjoy this! So… here goes.

God has showed me a lot over the years. I love every minute of it. I especially love coming across those “aha” moments in scripture. Quite often they came while studying a lesson to teach. In fact, I am certain that in all the years I’ve taught, I have learned more than any of my students have! I love it. Recently I was reminded of one of my favorite “aha” moments which came to fruition several years ago when God (in the cool way He does) put two different lessons, from two different churches together to reveal one single very important lesson to me about who He was. More and to the point, about the Trinity and how He relates to me.

What is the Trinity? The Trinity is how God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are described as all three being one. There are many Bible references to this relationship, even though the actual word “Trinity” is not in the Bible. For example, 1 John 5:7 says “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word (this is Jesus), and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”

Many times in my life I have heard people talk about the Trinity with such confusion. Let’s face it, the idea of three entities being One God, is hard to grasp. I have to admit, for many many years I struggled with understanding it too. Oh, please don’t assume I’m proclaiming I’ve got this one 100% covered and I know everything about the Trinity. I know that none of us will ever quite “get it”. God is far too complex for that, but there are things that He does enlighten us to. Things He will reveal about Himself when we seek Him. And I want to share one.

Growing up, I had heard the Trinity compared to an egg. An egg has three parts: a shell, a yolk and whites. Together they are one… one egg. That is pretty good I think. Another person once described the Trinity as being like the different facets of each of us. For instance, I am a mother, a daughter, a wife, a friend, etc. I am all these distinct things, but I am Ronda. They are all me and I am all of them. Yeah, that was pretty good too. But I think my “aha” moment was where God took me a step back and defined Himself in a way that first put me in awe and secondly made me love my God that much more.

So to start this lesson, let’s go to the very beginning. Genesis 1:26 says “Then God said; “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;…” Hmmm. “In Our Image… to Our likeness”, What does that mean? Does that mean that we look like God? Perhaps. But usually there’s much more to His word than just what we see on the surface. God doesn’t waste words… if He’s going to use them, they’re going to be more than just superficial talk. Let’s face it, He was the Word!

So, I ask myself… if I’m made in God’s image, what makes me, me? What are the parts of me that make me who I am and can I see those same parts in God? Well, first off, I’m going to step out on a limb here and state the obvious… here it is. I have a body. BOOM! That’s right! I can see it and I can touch it. Sometimes I’m not happy with it, but yep, there it is! I have a physical form. So, if I’m made in God’s image… does that mean God has a physical form? Let’s look. John 1:14 states “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” By golly God DOES have a body! Who was the Word made flesh? John 1 makes it clear that the Word made flesh was the Son Jesus Christ. So there we have it, My God has a physical form, a body. I am made in the image of God! Yeah!

Ok, what else? What else makes me, me? Well, I would hope that you all would agree that I have a mind. Yes, I know, sometimes you may wonder, but really, I do have one. I have a Psychological part of myself. A part of me that thinks, plans, and makes decisions. No one can discount that our minds are the head of who we are. Besides the fact that it’s quite literally in our heads, it is the part of us that motivates and dictates the rest of who we are.

Interesting note to ponder; my body is equal, yet submissive to my mind. Hmm… So, does God have a mind? Is there a part of God that Jesus (the Body) is equal to but also submissive to? John 5:30 states these words of Jesus “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”. Additionally, John 5:36 states these continued words of Jesus “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.” The Father has sent the Son. Matthew 26 speaks the prayer of Jesus on the day he would be taken into custody. There is says “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” and “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."” The will of the Father is done by the Son. The Father has determined the course which was to be set. And make no mistake, this course was determined in the beginning. Titus 1:1 – 3 states “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at His appointed season He brought His Word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,”. Yes, God has a mind. The mind of God is the Father, the head of the Trinity.

Is that is? Is that all of me? Wait, I think there’s something else. Ah yes, I have a spirit. Our spirit is the part of us that grasps and comprehends spiritual things. It is also how we communicate with God’s Spirit. Wait, what was that? God’s Spirit? Does God have a spirit too? Yes! The Holy Spirit is mentioned all throughout Old and New Testament. He is very active in the lives of Christians. I love His Spirit. He is whom we talk through and to. My favorite verse about the Holy Spirit is Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Oh how many times I didn’t know what to pray. But it’s ok, God knew my heart and His Spirit spoke it for me. How precious is His Spirit!

There you have it friends. God is three in one, and guess what, so are we! We are made in the image of the everlasting God. While driving that morning I reflected on these three comparisons. I thought about how my body, mind and spirit interact and reflected on whether the Father, Son and Holy Spirit interact the same way. It’s impossible to be me without all three of them, and they cannot truly exist on their own. They are one single entity that is me. Each has their own purpose and they cannot help but perform them. All equal but separate. My mind commands my body, and my spirit speaks to my mind. I’d even venture to say that there are times my spirit leads my body. None of them try to overtake or become more important than the other… because they are one. Wow, isn’t God amazing?

Well, I hope you enjoyed that. It was fun!