A lady, who has been in our church Body since before I
started writing this blog, found out this week that I write a post as a nightly
devotion. She said, "I'll bet it is a good read, because you are very
spiritual, aren't you?"
I answered, "I write about what I'm learning at the
time. I include the body and soul, as well as the spirit. I believe in
ministering to the whole person." She stared at me like I had two heads.
I have a Biblical precedence for my ministry goal with my
blog. God includes the body and soul with the spirit in his ministry to people
as well (Psalm 23-all). During His ministry on earth, Jesus regenerated the
spirit from death to life, forgave sins in order to free the soul and healed
the sick in body and soul (Matthew-all; Mark 2:9).
Paul taught us to include the body and soul in our
spirituality when he admonished, " So whether you eat or drink or whatever
you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
We can successfully accomplish nothing in this life apart
from the Spirit of God. God even uses some unregenerate people to accomplish
His will, although they do not even realize it (Ezekiel 29:4, 38:4).
If it is necessary, God will cause a donkey to speak by
His power (Numbers 22:21-39). He is a
creative God, as well as a caring and loving God. He wants what is best for us.
That is why He created Paradise as our original dwelling place.
It is the wayward, prideful choices we make that block
God's blessings from our life. We want to do things our own way, controlling
our own life and being responsible to or answerable to no one, not even to God.
God's ways are certainly higher than our ways, beyond
human comprehension sometimes, which makes it harder to trust His wisdom and
intentions. Yet, if we totally surrender to God's will, we find our self
blessed beyond our most vivid imaginations.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for caring about our body and soul
as well as our spirit (Psalm 23:1-3). You provide for all of our needs
according to Your abundant riches (Philippians 4:19). You are worthy of all of
our praise, service and attention. You want only what is best for us, even if
we do not recognize Your intentions at the time.
We usually, eventually see the wisdom in Your answers to
our prayers, even if we do not understand while we are in the midst of our
trials. You send the right people at the right time in the right place to bless
us beyond our expectations. We thank You for saving us through regenerating our
spirit, sanctifying our soul, and we look forward to You glorifying our body
when we see Jesus face-to-face.
Thought for the Day:
God gives us joy beyond words and new mercy every single
morning. - 1 Peter 1:8; Lamentations 3:22-23
