Did you receive the Spirit …?
Summary: Receiving a gift requires an act of acceptance. Accepting Jesus is the first step to receiving the Spirit.
I suppose we should begin this meditation by asking Paul’s question: Have you received the Spirit?
People are like houses. We live inside our spiritual house and look out through the windows. If visitors come, they have to come to the door and knock. When we answer the door, we open it, and then we decide whether or not to let the visitor in. Once they come in, there are more decisions to make. Do we invite them into the front room and keep them there, or do we give them the run of the house?
God does not force himself on us. I love the description in the Bible of Jesus standing at our door:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
He is not beating the door down. Jesus doesn’t come with a SWAT team or a goon squad intent on forcing their way in. Jesus simply stands at the door knocking, patiently waiting for an answer.
When Jesus sends us the Spirit (John 14:26), I suspect that the Spirit can only go places that Jesus is allowed to go.
Imagine a person who answers the door but leaves Jesus standing on the front porch. Will Jesus send the Spirit into a house he has not been in?
Another person might let Jesus into the front room but nowhere else. There, Jesus waits patiently while we come and go to other parts of the house. Perhaps we visit with Jesus on Sundays but have him wait there during the week while we are at work.
The person Paul is talking about has “received” the Spirit. I can’t help but think that the connotation is one of fully inviting Jesus in.
Sometimes, I’ve visited homes where I’ve been left on the front porch or the front room, but other times, I have been invited in and shown the whole house. It is very welcoming to get the “Grand Tour” and peek into every room.
The person who receives Jesus, fully invites him into the whole house. We give Jesus the “Grand Tour” and show him all the rooms and open all the closets. We receive Jesus fully. There is nothing closed off to him.
When Jesus sends the Spirit to a house like this, the Spirit can go all the places where Jesus himself has been invited to go. Such a house is filled with the Father’s Spirit.
Application: Be deliberate about opening your whole house to Jesus and receiving him in.
Food for Thought: Have you noticed the difference that welcoming Jesus into all the rooms of our house makes?
If Jesus is truly Lord, He wants to be Lord of all. If we are holding back, He will seek to get all of our heart (the heart referring to our desires, passions, pursuits, intellect, who we really are). Abraham Kuyper once said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
Thank you, Rich!
I like the image of Jesus actively seeking to explore all the nooks and crannies of our inner world.
There isn’t a single “room” in our lives that inviting Jesus into to, making Him Lord of, that He won’t make better.
“godliness is of value in every way”
Have a problem? Godliness will make it better.
Have a desire? Godliness will make it better.
Have a need? Godliness will make it better.
Have fear? Godliness will make it better.
Have hurt? Godliness will make it better.
1 Timothy 4:6-9
If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
2 Peter 1:3-8
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chris,
Well said! Great reference verses, too! Thank you!
Very nice verses Chris. Thank you for bringing that to my attention today.
Time to clean up some of the skeletons in the closet and finish up on different remodeling projects. But I know God doesn’t expect a perfect house. We are all under construction and/or needing maintenance done.
Amen to that, Tim!
Jesus doesn’t want us to wait until all is ready to invite him in. He wants us to invite him in so that he can help us get our house ready!
03-07-2024, Have you noticed the difference that welcoming Jesus into all the rooms of our house makes?
We can only achieve God’s “remain on earth purpose” in our lives, to the degree we receive spiritual growth through the Holy Spirit, our highest priority. Spiritual growth comes as we begin to grow in truth and acknowledge and fully accept the fact that our all knowing God is big enough to already know every detail of our lives. He already knows every detail of every room.
We have no secrets from God. There is a relief that comes, a new freedom, as our internal peace becomes stronger, as this world around us becomes bigger and begin to see God at work in everything around us. We begin to understand, our Sovereign, Omnipresent God is the creator and sustainer of everything that is.
Knowing God knows all things about each of His people and with this knowledge, we are allowed to continue to exist brings great relief as we strive to increasingly live in His Love and respond to His calling for change, spiritual growth in our lives.
1 Samuel 16:7, But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Matthew 9:4, And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?
Luke 5:22, But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
Ron,
You make a profound observation: “He already knows every detail of every room.”
Yes he does.
God is not surprised by anything. Our job is to open the doors in our house and admit to why they were closed in the first place. (We were trying to hide something.)
Thank you!
Great addition to clarification!
Thank you Sir.
Ron