Just after John saw the open door, he was immediately transformed into the Spirit of God. Now some may think that is not possible, because God and humans are completely separate. But I am being challenged this morning to consider the meaning of us and the Holy Spirit.
In the beginning, we were formed by the dust - watered by the Word and made into mud. Then “the Lord God breathed into man the breath of life; and man became a living being” here on this earth. Genesis 2:7 With a puff of vital breath man received a soul, divine inspiration by our Creator, God. The Spirit of Life was now inside us. After the Fall when man disobeyed God, both God’s grace and curse fell upon us. Humans were extended temporary life, without immediately having to experience death. You see, the Lord himself had told Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 Now the serpent who had rebelled against God was more cunning than any beast of the garden and he went up to Eve and asked her a question. He said, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5 It didn’t take much for Satan to tempt the woman and her husband, the man who stood right beside her. He just planted a question within their heart that would get them to doubt and question God. Since God is love and love is not bondage, God gave his creation the free will to choose; and as a result of their not trusting God because of the selfish condition of their heart, the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.” Genesis 3:22-23 We must understand that God removed humans from His Garden, but He did not remove the breath that sustained them. God sent the rebellious into the wilderness in hopes that they would repent and finally come home. Every person has the living breath of God. Every person has a God-sized hole that calls out to them. Most people wander, even when they hear God calling. Instead of listening to His voice, they follow their selfish desires. They are the lost, lonely and broken hearted. It is the rebellious nature of who we are that separates us from God, and only those who repent decide to return home. Repentance is the act of sincerely turning away, in both the mind and heart, from self to God. God is so loving that He provides an open door. He knows that we have all been prodigal sons. He is so faithful and He kept His promise. In Genesis 3:15 God promised a new Seed - the Seed of the woman. To Satan, the good Lord said, “I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed of the Woman is Jesus himself - the Word of God that took on human flesh so that He could be broken for us. The Word of God sacrificed himself so that He could defeat death, and the curse that was spoken from His mouth. Prodigal sons who repent and return to God will be received with open arms back into His home, while the children of Satan who prefer the world will be thrown into hell - forever separated from God. Since God is love and gives his creation much grace, He has given us all a chance to live in the wilderness, this temporarily place that we call life. Many humans choose to turn off their ears but a few will listen to His Spirit that still speaks from within. You see, God never left us. We left Him. His Spirit is with us as we walk through this Valley of the Shadow of Death. The children of the Light hear their Father’s voice, and they are the ones who are drawn home. The children of God possess a strong faith. They are the ones who respond to His voice; and they are the ones who easily identify Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us those who believe and follow God’s Way, will be the living stones that make up God’s temple someday. The breath of God does not just die. God himself is the Creator of Life. On the final Judgment Day, that great and terrible Day of the Lord, every human will come out of the wilderness and every person will bow before Him. Jesus is the truth, the way and the life. Nothing will enter His Kingdom that does not belong. All who follow the Spirit of God will immediately go right in. When the final harvest is ripe, the wheat will be permanently separated from the chaff. The wheat will be saved but the chaff will burn. My prayer is that anyone reading this poem would stop running away, and instead listen to the voice of God. The ministry of Jesus was to reconcile men - and my hope is to be a disciple of Him.
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