Chapter 5 -- Seven Realities of Experiencing God provides a summary of what the author will speak of in the next chapters. I won't say much about this chapter since it will be covered more thoroughly later. One thing worth mentioning is the three similarities noted concerning the men and women God used in the Bible.
1. When God spoke, they knew it was God.
2. They knew what God was saying.
3. They knew what they were to do in response.
Chapter 6 -- God Is At Work Around You
I absolutely love how God is speaking to my heart through this book! The author reminds us that God didn't create the world and then leave it alone never involving Himself. I didn't doubt that as I see it evidenced in the Bible and in my own life. God is at work redeeming the world, and His desires is to use His people to do that task. He wants us to be His hands and feet, so to speak. What a privilege to work with the Father in such a glorious task! He doesn't send us off alone to do this job because He knows more than we do that we accomplish nothing on our own! He works through us and equips us with the gift of Himself ... wow!
Jesus recognized this when He stated in John 5 that He did nothing on His own, and that the Father worked through Him. He even summed it up by saying "I and my Father are one."
Instead of trying to do a task that seems good to us and then pray that God will bless it, we should see where God is working, where He is blessing and yield to Him as He works through us.
Another wonderful thing -- God is working all around me and in my life, but, sadly, God's people don't always recognize it. We may have a deep longing to experience Him, but we don't recognize that we are already experiencing Him day after day. I hope to learn how to recognize God at work in my life! The author reminds us to make the love relationship with God our priority. We often look for an assignment and bypass the love relationship. It is only by abiding in Jesus that we have the power and ability to do the assignment!
Instead of trying to identify our spiritual gifts so we can find suitable assignments, we should ask God for the assignment and then wait for HIM to do the task through us. So, in essence, the spiritual gift is the Holy Spirit. This is shown in the life of Moses. God gave him an assignment. Moses thought, "I don't have the gift of speaking," but what did God say, "Have I not created your mouth...I will speak for you!" Praise the Lord! What He asks me to do, He will equip me to do it. I don't have to go about wondering what is my spiritual gift and then find my own tasks to do in order to build the kingdom of God. I just need to focus on abiding in the Vine and the Vine will bear much fruit through my life!
Wow! How true it is ... where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!
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