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February 16, 2008
THE INSPIRATION OF SPIRITUAL INITIATIVE
Arise from the dead.
Ephesians 5:14
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=eph+5:14&sr=1
All initiative is not inspired. A man may say to you - "Buck up, take
your disinclination by the throat, throw it overboard, and walk out
into the thing!" That is ordinary human initiative. But when the
Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, "Buck up," we find that
the initiative is inspired.
We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but
sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We
cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to
the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say - "Arise
from the dead." When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with
such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do
the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative
is that the life comes after we do the "bucking up." God does not
give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the
inspiration of God comes, and He says - "Arise from the dead," we
have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man
with the withered hand - "Stretch forth thy hand," and as soon as the
man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative.
If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God
because He gives life immediately.
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VELVET ELVIS: REPAINTING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, by Rob Bell
In this provocative, hopeful book, Bell asks what the church might look
like if today's believers fully embraced "the way" of love, peace,
sharing possessions, compassion, risk, forgiveness, and harmony.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?254
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