Colossians 1:27 “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

There are three things we can offer up to God: our obedience, our surrender, our love.

Everything we are, everything good in us and that comes forth out of us is simply due to His grace dwelling in us. Goodness, Righteousness, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Compassion – these are the very essence of who He is.  If we demonstrate any of these fruits it is because He dwells within us.  If we are growing in expressing more of this essence of Him it is because He is inhabiting greater depths of our spirit, consuming more space.

How do you describe Joy, Peace, Goodness? Truly? Are there even words in any language that can really capture its description? I’m not sure if we can every fully describe it – it has to be experienced to understand its connotation. If it is the very essence of who God is, His character, than how can we ever experience it or have it expressed through us unless we experience the infilling of His Spirit within us?

And this leads us back to Grace and this leads us back to the three things we can offer up to God: obedience, surrender, love.

If you look at the lives of some spiritual giants of our faith you will see these three gifts at work in their lives and in turn greater and deeper levels of God’s grace and the essence of His Spirit at work within them, expressed through them: Martin Luther; John the Baptist; John, the Beloved disciple; Peter, His disciple; Paul, the Apostle; Smith Wigglesworth; Calvin; Mother Teresa; Evan Roberts.

It begins with God, it continues with our response to God’s invitation and it ends with His response – His grace expressed in and through us. This, is a never-ending, always continual pattern of living. It calls us to: surrender, obey, turn from our wicked ways and love Him and others fiercely.

Have you asked Him to fill you today? Have you asked Him for a greater infilling? Are you prepared to respond to His invitation for greater depths of Him?

10/12/2016