The Buzzard Within

 

While sitting outside at a Veteran’s Day celebration, we all glanced skyward to view the Sheriff Department's fly-over. In the thrill of this meaningful moment, I also noticed a majestic kettle of vultures.

Their wings spanned forty-eight inches and never flapped, as they soared on invisible wind currents. One of these birds nose-dived to the earth and landed within a few feet of me.

Once I recovered from the shock of his sudden close proximity to my chair, I realized that what I always thought was a beautiful, agile bird of prey actually had an awkward and grotesquely revolting appearance.

This reminded me of our unsaved heart. We disguise our disfigured soul within us with an outward coat of cosmetics and brightly colored clothing. Yet, we remain nothing more than whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27-28).

The good news is that Christ died to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our spirit is washed anew in the blood of the Lamb of God (Revelation 22:14). Through His sanctifying work, God's Spirit makes our soul beautiful in His timing and way (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

On this earth, God's Spirit crucifies our soul and frees us from slavery to sin. He makes us holy and frees us from the bondage and destruction, through which sin hinders and overwhelms us.

He unites us with Christ through the new birth and provides us with the blessings and promises of eternity both in this life and the next. He frees us from dwelling on our past or fearing the future (Isaiah 43:18).

In heaven, He will glorify our body by giving us an immortal existence with Him forever. We look forward to a body free of age-related issues, illness and fatigue.

We look forward to continuing to live in God's presence, adding the physical existence to our soul and spirit's enjoyment of His presence now. Our salvation will be complete in body, as well as in spirit and soul, and we will dwell with Him for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, we live in Christ with Christ in us, and death has no more mastery over us. We also die to sin and live for You. Then in eternity, You glorify our body and provide us with immortality for our body, as well as our spirit and soul (Romans 6:4-11).

Thank You for forgetting who we used to be and giving us a new identity in Christ (Isaiah 65:17). You give us a new heart and put Your Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:26). We rejoice at the thought of seeing Your Kingdom in all of its glory, since we are born by the blood of Your unblemished Lamb (John 3:3).

Thought for the Day:

God buries our old, carnal nature in Christ by baptizing us into His death; then He sanctifies us through one stage of glory to another and gives us a new, resurrected life.

Filling The Empty Void Within

Read: John 1:12-13

“So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' ” - John 3:7

God originally created us in His image as triune beings (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve had a spirit, soul and body. God created our spirit to have fellowship with Him and to bring Him glory. He wants mankind to dwell with Him for all eternity. He even created Paradise for us to live in, and God considered this arrangement very good (Genesis 1:31).

However, when Adam and Eve sinned, the spirit within each of them died. They still possessed a body and soul – mind, will and emotions – but they and all future generations had no connection with God because of their disobedience. In today’s society we say, “I love his/her spirit.” The truth is that what we admire is the spark and passion in the human soul. Unless a person is Born Again, their spirit is dead in trespasses and sins (John 3:7; Ephesians 2:1,5).

The dead spirit within each person forms a void, an emptiness that we spend a lifetime trying to fill. People investigate every sort of substitute to alleviate this bareness. They use drugs, alcohol, advancing their education or career, physical and emotional relationships, hobbies, gambling, pets, humanistic causes and service to other people in order to fill this hollow space inside of them. We yearn for and even feel faint at times for the presence of God in our life. Our whole being cries out for the living God (Psalm 84:1-2). However, we have no idea that only a relationship with Him will fill this deep void in our life.

In fact, we ignore this desire and look for satisfaction in fleshly, carnal pursuits instead of the spiritual ones. Of course, some people do look for fulfillment from religion and spirituality; but they find no real fulfillment, because they are not following God’s Truth. At the end of their life, many wise people tell us that most of the activities humans pursue are meaningless and are like chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14). People reject the simple truth of Christ and His sacrifice for us on Calvary’s cross; when the only true remedy is for our spirit to be Born Again through repentance and salvation.

The only antidote for a troubled and anxious soul is to develop a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Repentance leads to the restoration of our position as a child of God (Romans 8:16). With this position come peace, joy and righteousness in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). We obtain wisdom beyond our experience and years, because the Holy Spirit gives it to us when we ask for it (James 1:5). Our relationship with Christ eradicates stress and helps us to walk in a peace, which transcends human reasoning (Philippians 4:7). God also writes our name in the Lamb’s Book of Life and guarantees us a place in heaven (Revelation 21:27).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we pray for all of our loved ones who do not have a saving relationship with You. We ask that You work in their lives, drawing them ever closer to Your heart with each new day. We thank You for giving us the right to become Your children. We thank You for our salvation and we ask that You help us to deny the flesh and to take up Your cross daily as we follow You (Matthew 16:24). Thank You for giving our spirit a new birth, so that we can live with You now and always (1 Peter 1:3).

Thought for the Day:

“Jesus washed away our sins, giving us new birth and a new life through the Holy Spirit.” – Titus 3:5