Warm Yellow Glow

“Follow me”

Have you had a moment where you realised you need to get up, leave everything else, and follow Jesus?

Every disciple went through this. That moment of decision where the question is “fishing nets, family and finances- or Jesus?”

And wherever this mysterious wandering Teacher leads.

Whatever he leads to.

Have you ever had a moment where you made the choice that nothing else will do compared to Jesus?

Where you know that you’d literally sell everything else to buy that field and have that treasure?

Where everything else you have, possessions or relationships are expendable to get Jesus, and whatever he leads to?

Following Jesus begins from that moment you realise that nothing else will do.

And following Jesus means coming back to that same moment again and again.

It means learning to say with gladness, whatever the circumstances,

‘I just want you – and nothing else will do’

And in Jesus are more blessings than we could collect anywhere else.

Have you ever felt like God might be teaching you something, but you don’t know what?

That can be frustrating.

But think about this: If you already knew what you were going to learn, then you wouldn’t have to learn it. You’d already know it.

And I mean really learning it for yourself, not just knowing a label for it. You might know you are learning ‘patience’ (like you might be learning ‘maths’), but to learn ‘patience’ you have to learn to be patient. The label doesn’t help. Knowing that maths is a subject doesn’t help you to actually do mathematics. Knowing there are good characteristics like ‘patience’ doesn’t make you able to be patient.

You want to learn it in a way that changes you.

So if it’s worth learning it, then it’s worth being patient through the frustrating period of time where you don’t yet know what you’re even learning.

Whatever God is teaching you right now, it’s worth learning.

So stick with it.

There is a museum of fine art in the faraway city of Nod, which is tended to by a caretaker of punctilious diligence. Every day, he carefully tends to the exhibits: he identifies which ones need special care, which ones need restoration, and which ones need greater protection. He loves all the exhibits, but his favourite section is the pottery and earthenware section, over in the eastern wing of the grand museum.

In the collection of vessels that are on display here, there are many interesting pieces, of varying styles and materials But none is as precious as the fine, but infinitely fragile vase found under a special protective case made of glass, located at the centre of the room. This vase is made of a crystalline material, intricately and delicate formed with beautifully fine details of flowers and birds engraved into it. It is the most beautiful of all the vessels in the room. And its value can hardly be guessed at- precious beyond any price tag.

And yet, it is incredibly fragile. If you were to mishandle it, or treat it carelessly, it would shatter. However, the caretaker is more than capable of protecting this fine work of art and would even put himself in the way of harm to protect it. He loves this vessel, and knows that though it is not as strong as some of the other vessels, this makes it all the more valuable. It holds a special place in his heart, and a special place in the museum.

Not far from this beautiful vase there is another piece of art. This one is more sturdy, and fashioned from a rugged, earthy material. It is more resistant to shattering, yet not indestructible by any means. Its strength, though impressive, is still no match for a clumsy visitor or a drop on a hard concrete floor. It is not beautiful like the other vase, but nonetheless holds value to the caretaker, who, unlike you or me, is not so quick to judge a vessel for its outer shape, material, or decorative value. The caretaker knows that in the end, any vessel was made to be filled with something, and in the end, what matters most is the beauty of the contents.

Since today is a special holiday, the caretaker gently lifts the protective cover off from the weaker vessel, takes a flask of water and pours it into both this vessel and the sturdier vessel in equal measure. Next, he takes lovely wildflowers, and arranges them in bouquets of equal magnificence and carefully places them inside the vessels. He takes a step back and admires his work. It is very good. Then he carefully places the protective cover back over the weaker vessel, and as he walks out of the room, he pauses one last time to gaze at these two beloved vessels, and admire this beautiful exhibit. “Yes,” he says quietly, to no one in particular, “Yes it is very good. Very good indeed.”

Based on 1 Peter 3:7

When you repent and believe in Jesus, you receive the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).

But that doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit automatically has maximum influence in your life.

He wants to shape us and work with us to become holy as he is holy, and as this process goes on, his effect on us, and influence on us (as well as through us) will increase.

But do you need more of his influence? Or are you already at a level of his influence on your life that you should be happy with?

Here are 3 signs that the Holy Spirit wants to gain greater influence in your life. If any one of these is true for you, then there is more of the Holy Spirit that you can see in your life.

#1 If you sometimes do things you know you shouldn’t do.

The Bible says in 1 John 2:3 that “we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.” In other words, you fully know Jesus if you keep all his commands. Therefore, if you don’t keep all his commands, you still need to know Jesus deeper. We know Jesus deeper by the testimony of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26). Therefore when we are more influenced by the Holy Spirit, we will know Jesus deeper, and we will keep his commands more.

As long as we still break Jesus’ commands, there is more influence of the Holy Spirit that we need.

#2 If you sometimes don’t do things you know you should do.

Again in 1 John 2, verse 4 the Bible says “whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar…’ When Jesus says to do something, do you do it? Do you sometimes neglect to do something even though you know it would be the right thing to do? The Holy Spirit reminds us of Jesus’ teaching and applies to us his instructions (John 14:26). On top of that, as we see throughout the Bible, especially in Acts, the Holy Spirit gives specific words and instructions to believers that are more practical, prophetic, or personal. However, we are not forced to obey the commands, but can choose to ignore them. When we don’t do what the Spirit is instructing, we prove that we don’t know Jesus as deeply as we would have to know him in order to actually hear, agree with, and also do what he is suggesting.

As long as we still ignore the instructions of Jesus and his Holy Spirit, there is more influence of the Holy Spirit that we need.

#3 If you think you don’t have any issues.

In the same letter, 1 John 1:8, the Bible tells us that we can fall into the trap of thinking we don’t have any issues in our walk with the Lord: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” That means we are always wrong if we think that our actions, our desires, our motivations, our thoughts, our hearts are without sin, that is, perfect in every way and aligned with the Holy Spirit completely. There is always room for improvement, or rather room for more of the Holy Spirit. We can get into a mindset of plateau. We may feel we’ve reached a ‘good enough’ level of holiness. That we’ve eliminated most sinful actions, perhaps. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop there, he wants to refine our thoughts, desires, and our very substance. He wants to transform us completely, and the process will go on until eternity.

As long as we think we are doing well enough as it is, there is more influence of the Holy Spirit that we need.

In summary, we all need the ever-increasing influence of the Holy Spirit on us, and in our lives.

If a plant doesn’t grow, that’s because it is dead. We will not reach ‘perfection’ until we are in eternity, so may the influence of the Holy Spirit grow and increase in us, as we draw ever closer in our friendship with our Lord.

Amen.

Have you ever been in this situation:

You’re gathered around with family or friends, and you’ve
just set up a board game, but not everyone knows the rules yet.

So someone explains the rules, but there are interruptions,
and pointless questions, and people didn’t listen properly the first time, so
the rules are repeated again… and maybe again.

Until finally, everyone is on the same page, and agrees on
how the game should be played, according to the rules, and then the game can
begin.

And that’s when things finally get fun.

Until then, the players have been subject to frustration,
but now the game can actually be played according to the rules, which was the
whole point of gathering around in the first place.

God created the world, and created human beings.

He made life a certain way, according to certain rules.

Sin is breaking those rules, and wanting to redefine the
rules.

Redemption is when people are realigned with the rules of
the game of life.

When the heart actually longs to play the game of life the
way it was designed to be played.

That’s why the world is currently such a mess – people are
arguing over the rules, and making up their own games, and trying to use the
stuff that’s in the box to play the wrong game.

It’s like trying to play Monopoly with a game of Cluedo.

But that part of the games night where the players don’t yet
agree on the rules or which game to play is the most boring and tedious part of
the night.

That’s the part we’re currently seeing in the world.

But there’s only one game that will be played for all
eternity.

It’s the best game ever, because it’s the one that’s
actually in front of us.

Designed with care, designed for us, and we are designed for
it.

Eternal life is the name of the game.

One day this will be the game every player will be playing: no
more using the Risk cards to build houses, or stacking the Monopoly houses to make
pyramids…

But actually playing the greatest game there is.

And once you agree with the rules,

And you join in with God, and start playing it too,

that’s when it starts to get fun!