Last night was the monthly Bible study I teach and we finished up the series "Becoming a Vessel God Can Use". It was the last class until September. We break for summer, a schedule I copied from BSF...(can't seem to get away from those BSF guidelines...lol). The last month's homework was on being filled and constantly refilled with the Holy Spirit.
These were my Divisions:
I. Our Design
II. Our Decision
III. Our Duty to be Delightful
I. Our Design
We are Designed with a God shaped void that ONLY Jesus can fill. He designed us that way because it is only Him who can give us the following things we need ....
a. Redemption - Hebrews 10:4, 10:10, Romans 5:8
b. Comfort - John 15:16-18
c. Abundant Life - John 10:10
d. Friendship - Provers 18:24
e. Guidance - Psalm 32:8, 48:14
f. Availability - Psalm 121:4, Jeremiah 33:3, Hebrews 13:8
g. Rest - Psalm 127:2, 16:9, 37:7
It is up to us to allow Him to fill that void and to stop allowing the world to try to take His place.
II: Our Decision
Now that we've looked at how we are designed, let's talk about the Holy Spirit a minute. If you are saved you have all of the Holy Spirit you are ever going to have; the key is how much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have? I have an example for you....How many of you have a piece of exercise equipment or exercise video or DVD in your home? Are you waiting on any more of it to come?......probably not...you have all of it you will ever have but to see results such as weight loss or toned muscles.......it will depend on how much the exercise equipment or video's have of you! You can't just exercise once a month and expect to see permanent results...and you can't just yield every once in a while and be what you need to be for Christ. It is a daily yielding and filling....allowing the Holy Spirit to be in control. It will be hard.....but it is so worth it!!
III: Our Duty to be Delightful
How many of you have needed to stop for gas and as you approach the gas pump you notice it is busy. Great you think...and I'm in a hurry! Then you notice there is one empty spot...your spirits rise a little and you head toward the open spot....wahooooooooo!!! It's all mine! ......then as you pull around you see the plastic bag over the handle and you realize it is.....that's right....."OUT OF ORDER".... Being out of order means it is broken and NO ONE can BENEFIT from it. Well, did you know that if our "JOY" is out of order we are no benefit to anyone either? Joy can be achieved by doing the following J - Jesus, O - Others, Y - Yourself....in that order. When those things are out of order....your Joy is gone. Remember, joy is a command....it is a choice ....it is about obedience. Phill 4:4, I Thess 5:15, Psalm 5:11, James 1:2. Whether good times or bad times, we are to have joy.
As I taught the ladies last night and as I heard their discussion about the month's homework and then their testimonies of what the Lord is doing in their lives through this study I stand amazed at how incredibly gracious our Lord is. He is so faithful, so kind and always right on time! I hope that each one of the ladies will pour out their vessels in service to our Lord this summer during our break and never ever forget how special they are to God. It was a time of tears shared, victories claimed and God's praises proclaimed and it was sweet! I'm so thankful for the fellowship of my sisters in Christ and for our father loving us all the way He does. O What a Savior!
1 comment:
The bible study was great and there was so much to glean from it. Makes me think of Ruth and how she gleaned from the field. Which makes me think of Rehab (Boaz mom),what a special lady, one of my favorites. Thank you Lora, you did a great job on our bible study, I loved it and your committment to the Lord.
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