Psalm 68:18 (AV) — 18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
Conversion is a work of argument, for the judgment is gained by the truth. It is a work of conviction, for the awakened are pricked in their hearts. It is a work of inquiry, for they ask, "What must we do to be saved?" And, lastly, it is a work of comfort, for its subjects have received remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.—Joseph Sutcliffe.
Heart-work must be God's work. Only the great heart-Maker can be the great heart-Breaker.—Richard Baxter.
In most cases, we look down upon those who care more about the gifts than they do the giver, but in this case, the Gift is the Giver, the Giver is the Gift. The Holy Ghost is the Gift in question. He is given to the rebellious, first, as a prick of conscience. Do you remember the days, O Rebel, when you would have nothing to do with God and His ways? You did not want to be a fuddy-duddy. That is a word, by the way. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as one that is old-fashioned, unimaginative, or conservative.
I remember the days of thinking that giving up my sin would be paramount to losing everything I enjoyed in life. Enter the Holy Spirit. He opened my ears to hear the chains of bondage by the sin I loved. I listened to the clanking and felt the iron neck ring yanking me down a dark corridor. He showed me the end of that road where the flames of hell for all eternity tormented those who chose chains over Christ, slavery over liberty.
Then, He is given as a conviction of spiritual achievement. He showed me a cross. He showed me the Saviour. He showed me that all I had to do was look and live. The chains fell off. This old rebel was free! I didn't have to earn it to get it, but I did have to believe it to receive it!
No longer was I bound to my sin and bound for eternity in hell. Sin no longer had the lusty allure, and now conscience was awakened to see it as God does.
I can praise the Gift because He loves even the rebel. Sometimes when times get rough, I'll try to put those old chains back on. I try to find comfort in sin, but O the Gift that keeps on giving! He reminds me that sin is always the same, still deceiving, ever enslaving. And back to the cross, He takes me. Look, and live!
He is given as the Sanctifier. He shows me the difference between the cross that He enjoins me to carry and the chains of sin that seek to bring me again under its mastery. The cross is one that has a crown of life waiting at the end of the road. The chains of sin do not have a crown, but everlasting misery. He shows me that He can continually break the power of those chains as long as I'm willing to take the yoke of the cross.
If you've been saved, you can never be lost again. But you can be a fool in going back to what bound you. The rebel's heart can be changed. The difference is in receiving the Gift of "the LORD God [dwelling] among them."
2 Corinthians 3:17 (AV) — 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Praising The Gift
08/10/2020
Day 222: Praising The Gift
Psalm 68:18 (AV) — 18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
Conversion is a work of argument, for the judgment is gained by the truth. It is a work of conviction, for the awakened are pricked in their hearts. It is a work of inquiry, for they ask, "What must we do to be saved?" And, lastly, it is a work of comfort, for its subjects have received remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.—Joseph Sutcliffe.
Heart-work must be God's work. Only the great heart-Maker can be the great heart-Breaker.—Richard Baxter.
In most cases, we look down upon those who care more about the gifts than they do the giver, but in this case, the Gift is the Giver, the Giver is the Gift. The Holy Ghost is the Gift in question. He is given to the rebellious, first, as a prick of conscience. Do you remember the days, O Rebel, when you would have nothing to do with God and His ways? You did not want to be a fuddy-duddy. That is a word, by the way. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as one that is old-fashioned, unimaginative, or conservative.
I remember the days of thinking that giving up my sin would be paramount to losing everything I enjoyed in life. Enter the Holy Spirit. He opened my ears to hear the chains of bondage by the sin I loved. I listened to the clanking and felt the iron neck ring yanking me down a dark corridor. He showed me the end of that road where the flames of hell for all eternity tormented those who chose chains over Christ, slavery over liberty.
Then, He is given as a conviction of spiritual achievement. He showed me a cross. He showed me the Saviour. He showed me that all I had to do was look and live. The chains fell off. This old rebel was free! I didn't have to earn it to get it, but I did have to believe it to receive it!
No longer was I bound to my sin and bound for eternity in hell. Sin no longer had the lusty allure, and now conscience was awakened to see it as God does.
I can praise the Gift because He loves even the rebel. Sometimes when times get rough, I'll try to put those old chains back on. I try to find comfort in sin, but O the Gift that keeps on giving! He reminds me that sin is always the same, still deceiving, ever enslaving. And back to the cross, He takes me. Look, and live!
He is given as the Sanctifier. He shows me the difference between the cross that He enjoins me to carry and the chains of sin that seek to bring me again under its mastery. The cross is one that has a crown of life waiting at the end of the road. The chains of sin do not have a crown, but everlasting misery. He shows me that He can continually break the power of those chains as long as I'm willing to take the yoke of the cross.
If you've been saved, you can never be lost again. But you can be a fool in going back to what bound you. The rebel's heart can be changed. The difference is in receiving the Gift of "the LORD God [dwelling] among them."
2 Corinthians 3:17 (AV) — 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
I walked by the tomb of Buddha
Looked inside and saw his bones,
Traveled on to see Mohammad
Still wrapped up in his grave clothes,
Then I journeyed to a garden,
Where old Joseph left Him lay,
The Precious Lamb
God's own Begotten
Was no longer in that grave
If you knew Him like I know Him,
You would know that He's alive,
If you felt him like I feel him,
Resurrection deep inside
You'd know He's living
And death has died
If your wandering in the darkness
Come and step into the light,
Nail scarred hands reach out to help you,
To pull you safe from death to life,
Friend, I too have stood where you stand,
Could I trust in things unseen
But just one step in His direction
Then in love, He ran to me
If you knew Him like I know Him,
You would know that He's alive,
If you felt him like I feel him,
Resurrection deep inside
You'd know He's living
And death has died
You ask me how I know He lives
He lives within my heart
If you felt Him like I feel Him
Resurrection deep inside,
You'd know He's living
And death has died,
Death has died...
--Rodney Griffin / Joseph Habedank