09-03-24-DAILY READING-ENG.

EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT

             OBEDIENCE CHANGES THE RELATIONSHIP

Peter was a man who attended our church for several years. He was a good man, faithful to attend worship and pleasant to be around. But he was careful to keep his distance and not get too involved. He'd been a Christian most of his life, but his unwillingness to serve the Lord created a distance from the Lord. Peter's countenance often seemed heavy, for he knew he was going through the motions without having a real relationship with Christ. His spirit was troubled, for he had the shell of Christianity without the substance to sustain it. Over time, he began to look more like the world than a child of God. Then I (Mel) started to hear his name mentioned around the church. I saw his name among those of the mission team going to do disaster relief. He began showing up at an early morning men's prayer meeting. I saw him cooking hamburgers at the church fellowship. I heard of a Bible study he was leading downtown at his place of work. But the greatest change was the look in his eyes. 

His countenance had changed; he was full of joy. In times past when I would approach him, he would look away awkwardly and not have much to say. Now his smile was captivating as he talked with excitement about the things of the Lord. One day I stopped him in the hallway and asked him, “What happened to you?” He laughed and said, “Isn't it great! Once I decided to trust the Lord and obey, He decided He could trust me with the power to do the work. I can't believe what I was missing. Once I decided to obey Him, I came to know His presence like never before.” The Holy Spirit doesn't need to equip you for what you're not going to do, so if you're in rebellion against Jesus and refusing His right to be Lord, He doesn't need to send the Holy Spirit to equip you for service. And, tragically, you miss out on the joy that He brings. So let the Holy Spirit deal with anything that's keeping you from obeying Christ.