The law, grace and truth (14)

YHWH, The Only One who speaks and it is, the Mighty and Holy One of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth, thank you for all that You are and all that You have been and all that You will be. We give you all the glory and praise. May Your Word transform our hearts, give us understanding and draw us closer to Your heart in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Praise God family! Today's lead Word is from Genesis 1:1-3 (NKJV)

"1.In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2.The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3.Then God said, "Let there be light;" and there was light."

Amen, thank you LORD.

In the above passage, the Spirit of the LORD hovered over the face of the waters. All the things we see today were completely non existent because the earth was empty until God spoke and with His Word, all of creation came into existence including man and woman as seen in Genesis chapter 1. It then comes to our understanding that all of creation is obedient to God. God speaks and it is because all of creation hears the voice of God. We also know that Jesus, the Son of God was present with God at the beginning when the world was created. In John 2-3 NKJV, we see that Jesus was in the beginning with God and all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Colossians 1:15-16 NKJV, Jesus is introduced to us as the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation in whom all things were created in heaven, on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities and powers. In Christ, all things consist. O the majestic and wonderful power of God that is beyond human comprehension. Who is like this God?

In the Old Testament and specifically after the law was given by the LORD God through Moses, we see that the Spirit of the LORD only came upon certain individuals that were anointed for the calling of God's appointment. For instance, Joshua could only lead God's people, Israel's descendants to the promised land after God through the hands of Moses imparted the anointing for that ministry of leadership. In Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (NKJV), "Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel,"Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

Another example is Saul and David, the first two first kings of Israel. God had to send a prophet, Samuel, who anointed them as kings over God's people (1 Samuel 10:1 & 16:13).

In some cases, God anointed people for their callings in His own unique way without a prophet or man of God. For instance, God personally appeared to Moses in a burning bush (Exodus 3:5-6) and instructed him to rescue His people from bondage in Egypt. Bezalel was blessed by the Spirit of the LORD God with a special creative skill to build the tabernacle of the LORD according to His instructions (Exodus 31:2-5).

Before Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, He told His disciples that they would not be alone. It is important to imagine the life of the disciples before and after they met Jesus. Before they met Jesus, they were living their normal lives with an occupation as fishermen. When Jesus appears in their lives, He turns them into men with purpose for God's work, that is, fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). Their lives took a completely different turn, probably one they never imagined. Yet here Jesus was, speaking about His physical departure. I can imagine their disorientation, wondering what a life without Jesus would look like.

For all the disciples who wholeheartedly received Jesus' ministry, Jesus gave them hope and a new identity found in Him. So in John 14:16-18 NKJV, Jesus says, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

When we look at both the old and new testaments, the message is one, the Holy Spirit is the presence and the power of God.

Jesus further encouraged His disciples just like He is encouraging you and I today as seen in John 16:7 NKJV, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."

A brief background of the Holy Spirit, He is a part of the Holy Trinity which is God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. We also see that He is a person and the only One person in Scripture where God says blaspheming His name is an unpardonable sin. To this effect, Jesus says in Matthew 12:32, "Anyone who speaks a Word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

Today, this promise of the Holy Spirit holds true for every child of God who freely receives Jesus Christ as their LORD and Saviour. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you receive the One who is before all things and in Him, all things consist (Colossians 1:17). Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:27 tells us how God has given this free of gift of salvation for all who will believe in His Son and he says,"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Now since we have Christ, the hope of glory living on the inside of us as God's children, creation obeys you just like it obeys God because you are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26).

I'll end with this Word found in Romans 8:19 (NKJV)

"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God."

Amen, thank you LORD.

Invitation to salvation: God is love and He loves you and His arms are open wide just to receive you. Jesus in Matthew 18:12 says, that He would leave the ninety nine to go find that one lost sheep. There is no need for perfection because Jesus Christ was made to be perfection on your behalf by God, the Father. If you would like to receive this free gift of salvation that is found in God's Son, Jesus Christ, the hope of glory;

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever. Thank you Father that because the Son has made me free, I am now free indeed." AMEN.

HALLELUJAH, PRAISE GOD! YOU ARE OFFICIALLY A CHILD OF GOD. PLEASE FIND A CHURCH AND GET WATER BAPTIZED!