A timely word from our brother Tim…
Welcome back to real life guys. I had a blast with ya’ll at PennYork, and I know our Jesus was speaking a lot of things to a lot of us; but I’ve noticed that after the spiritual high of a retreat, it’s easy to come back home and continue living the same way as before, even though we were so certain we were going to be different. Maybe some of you are thinking that all the things we talked about at the retreat were cool but that they’re too hard to actually live out. And guess what ….. you’re right. Everything we talked about IS way too hard for any of us to do, BUT realizing this is not a reason to give up, it is simply a reason to look for more strength than we have by ourselves.

Paul figured this same thing out in his own life, and said in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” However, the Lord showed him an answer to this problem: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” The fact is, we CAN’T find the strength in ourselves to live out anything that we learned on the retreat; it HAS to be the Holy Spirit giving us the strength moment by moment. SO ….. if you’re discouraged or finding it really tough, ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit and to BE your strength. He can do it in you; NO QUESTION.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

Amazed how easy it is for me to forget about one of the greater gifts that was and is given to the born-again believing church, The Holy Spirit. Perhaps it’s because it is not His nature to bring attention to himself, but He purposes to glorify and exalt the name of Jesus Christ. Yet we are commanded, “be filled with the Spirit.” Eph 5:18. The Apostle Paul exhorts us in his letter to the Galatians, “[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Gal 5:16 I like what William Macdonald writes in his daily devotional…

“Exactly what is involved in walking in the Spirit? Actually it is not as complicated and impractical as some tend to think. Here is what a day’s walk in the Spirit would be like:

First, you start the day in prayer. You confess all known sin in your life; this makes you a clean vessel and therefore usable by God. You spend time in praise and worship; this gets your soul in tune. You turn over control of your life to Him; this makes you available for the Lord to live His life through you. In this act of rededication, you ‘cease from needless scheming and leave the ruling of your life to Him.’

Next, you spend time feeding on the Word of God. Here you get a general outline of God’s will for your life. And you may also receive some specific indication of His will for you in your present circumstances.

After your quite time, you do the things that your hands find you to do. Ordinarily they will be prosaic, routine, mundane duties of life. This is where a lot of people have the wrong ideas. They think that walking in the Spirit is foreign to the world of aprons and overalls. Actually, it is mostly composed of faithfulness and diligence in one’s daily work.

Throughout the day you confess and forsake sin as soon as you are aware of it. You praise the Lord as His blessings come to mind. You obey every impulse to do good, and refuse every temptation to do evil.

Then you take what comes to you during the day as being His will for you. Interruptions become opportunities to minister. Disappointments become His appointments. Phone calls, letters, visitors are seen as part of His plan.”

Sweet gleanings from our student friend Julia…
When reading the Word, The first thing I look for is practical application. I have been recently challenged. Rather than looking at the state of man and how to apply it there first, I should be looking at our Lord and what it speaks of Him. With this in mind while reading Luke 10:38-42, the story of Mary and Martha, I saw it from a new perspective.

In this familiar passage we read of Jesus entering Mary and Martha’s home. Mary is found at Jesus’ feet while Martha is busy serving. Martha was doing what we often think is so important, but she was coming up short. When she came to the Lord asking for help from her sister, I find it interesting that He knew the state of her heart. She had not spent time with Him, yet He knew that she was anxious and troubled. When He speaks to her, He uses her name and tells her He knows what she’s feeling, but help isn’t what she needs, He desires to spend time with her. How comforting that our Lord knows the details and emotions of our heart. When I’m overwhelmed, the Lord knows, and He is the one I should be running to for strength and endurance.
“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:1, 17