How do you make the most of your time?
Obedience to God is key because it is an expression of trust and love; it is the pathway to experiencing God’s presence. The more we obey God, the more we will be able to discern the opportunities He gives us—especially because those opportunities often seem like interruptions in our own plans.
Ephesians 5 teaches us that we obey God by being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). This is an active choice that we make: We can choose to be filled with the world, or we can choose to be filled with the Spirit.
Choosing to be filled with the Spirit requires training. We must train to have a greater acuity when it comes to the promptings of the Spirit. The more we do so, the more we will become Christo-centric instead of egocentric. The more He fills us, the more we become like Christ, and the more we will serve those around us.
This is a process; it will not happen overnight. We will make mistakes and have setbacks, but by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit our lives will be marked by Christlikeness.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not often taught in our churches—or, at least, it is not taught often enough. However, His ministry is essential to our understanding of the Christian life.
First of all, the Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of sin; He also regenerates us, imparting new life to us. Another aspect of His ministry is baptizing us, which refers to the baptism of all believers into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit is the seal of our inheritance; we are in His power until the day of redemption.
As we recognize the work of the Spirit and walk in His power, our lives will be changed. Our speech and actions will be seasoned with gratitude and praise to the Lord. Even in difficult times, let us make the choice to be defined by the Word and by the Spirit of God.
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For more on walking by the power of the Spirit, see Facet 9 of the revised edition of Conformed to His Image.
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