Bucky Walters
As I contemplated our visit to Ukraine this year, treasures of the heart continues to remind me of the treasures of Jesus Christ, and our helper the Holy Spirit, who was sent after Christ ascended, to live within our hearts and assist us through our journey on earth.
The Spirit connects us spiritually to Jesus so that we might have the faith to believe in a very, very generous gift which selfish humanity cannot accept without His grace. Now that event, perhaps the most momentous one in history, is that Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son, gave His life as He died on a cross, for us men. Jesus treasure was to take our place there, to suffer for the wages of our sin .death. He substituted his perfect life for our sinful lives. Amazing love! How can it be? And further, He gives us the gift of faith in order to believe. Treasure, to be sure.
The Spirit is a treasure to be treasured in every daily event. Romans 8 says, the Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirits that we are the children of God. He sustains us in our beliefs, and works within our hearts to sanctify us, making us daily, more like our perfect, crucified Christ. And because of the treasure of faith in Christs death, whether He returns while we are still alive, or we meet him in glory, we will enjoy all His benefits for eternity.
As King David says in Psalm 139, the Holy Spirit is with us all the time. He knows, our sitting down and our rising up , and is acquainted with all our ways. All our ways? Oh my! As David says, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I can not attain it. A very sobering yet priceless treasure, to think that a God acquainted with all our ways, still gave His life to redeem us.
As believers, it should be our paramount desire that the Spirits presence in our lives will manifest itself in our dealings with each person God brings our way. How does the Holy Spirit show His presence in our lives? Well lets get specific about where the rubber meets the road treasures of the heart. The Bible says in Galatians 5 that the fruit (or manifestation) of the Spirit in our lives is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Now whether it is family, friends, or a complete stranger, we can only be known by another human through our words, and actions, and how we present ourselves. Our earthly counterparts only know what we show them. By Gods grace, they are not acquainted with all our ways as we talked about earlier, which should make it all the more a treasure to our hearts and theirs to demonstrate the Spirits fruit as we move through each day.
Only as God the Holy Spirit, comes along beside us, encourages us, and lives within out hearts (a treasure worth eternally more than gold), may we as believers demonstrate godly attributes to our peers and fellow pilgrims here on earth. The Biblical attributes listed from Galatians 5 are very clear and dont require a lot of explanation. Gods Word makes this simple! We dont want people wondering what the Holy Spirit teaches us to say and do in front of our friends and family, our lives should demonstrate these treasures of our hearts with crystal clarity.
That then, is how we demonstrate the treasures of the heart to a world that may only observe us as we walk down the street, engage us in conversation, or sit with us in school or at work. We may only have one opportunity, ever, to demonstrate the Holy Spirit within us, because we may be the closest thing they will ever encounter that reflects the treasures of the heart that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit have provided for us.
As we prepare to meet new friends and reminisce with old ones in Ukraine, we seek the knowledge and wisdom that are reflected in Psalm 19 where God reveals himself both in general and specific revelation. The Psalm ends with the prayer that speaks to the treasures of the heart as revealed by the Holy Spirit. It says, May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in my sight. O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
The Spirit connects us spiritually to Jesus so that we might have the faith to believe in a very, very generous gift which selfish humanity cannot accept without His grace. Now that event, perhaps the most momentous one in history, is that Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son, gave His life as He died on a cross, for us men. Jesus treasure was to take our place there, to suffer for the wages of our sin .death. He substituted his perfect life for our sinful lives. Amazing love! How can it be? And further, He gives us the gift of faith in order to believe. Treasure, to be sure.
The Spirit is a treasure to be treasured in every daily event. Romans 8 says, the Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirits that we are the children of God. He sustains us in our beliefs, and works within our hearts to sanctify us, making us daily, more like our perfect, crucified Christ. And because of the treasure of faith in Christs death, whether He returns while we are still alive, or we meet him in glory, we will enjoy all His benefits for eternity.
As King David says in Psalm 139, the Holy Spirit is with us all the time. He knows, our sitting down and our rising up , and is acquainted with all our ways. All our ways? Oh my! As David says, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I can not attain it. A very sobering yet priceless treasure, to think that a God acquainted with all our ways, still gave His life to redeem us.
As believers, it should be our paramount desire that the Spirits presence in our lives will manifest itself in our dealings with each person God brings our way. How does the Holy Spirit show His presence in our lives? Well lets get specific about where the rubber meets the road treasures of the heart. The Bible says in Galatians 5 that the fruit (or manifestation) of the Spirit in our lives is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Now whether it is family, friends, or a complete stranger, we can only be known by another human through our words, and actions, and how we present ourselves. Our earthly counterparts only know what we show them. By Gods grace, they are not acquainted with all our ways as we talked about earlier, which should make it all the more a treasure to our hearts and theirs to demonstrate the Spirits fruit as we move through each day.
Only as God the Holy Spirit, comes along beside us, encourages us, and lives within out hearts (a treasure worth eternally more than gold), may we as believers demonstrate godly attributes to our peers and fellow pilgrims here on earth. The Biblical attributes listed from Galatians 5 are very clear and dont require a lot of explanation. Gods Word makes this simple! We dont want people wondering what the Holy Spirit teaches us to say and do in front of our friends and family, our lives should demonstrate these treasures of our hearts with crystal clarity.
That then, is how we demonstrate the treasures of the heart to a world that may only observe us as we walk down the street, engage us in conversation, or sit with us in school or at work. We may only have one opportunity, ever, to demonstrate the Holy Spirit within us, because we may be the closest thing they will ever encounter that reflects the treasures of the heart that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit have provided for us.
As we prepare to meet new friends and reminisce with old ones in Ukraine, we seek the knowledge and wisdom that are reflected in Psalm 19 where God reveals himself both in general and specific revelation. The Psalm ends with the prayer that speaks to the treasures of the heart as revealed by the Holy Spirit. It says, May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in my sight. O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.