Inside Out!

Inside Out!

rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Romans 12:12 KJV

Paul, writing to the church in Rome, speaks of different attitudes and practices that line up with the Christian life. The day I gave my life to Christ was the day I chose a different lifestyle. All that relates to that new life must be my pursuits and priorities now. I will quickly admit that this new life will demand a lot from you; what it is asking you to do is against the natural inclination of man, but because of the new nature in me, I am able to depend on God to help me live the right way. A lot of instructors are given in the entire chapter 12, but we will focus on the verse before us today.

Rejoicing in hope: I note the key words here are not things you can quantify but you cannot doubt their presence or absence in the life of any man. Joy and hope are birthed in a man by the help of the Holy Spirit. You cannot get them by peddling influence, or flaunting wealth or by human connection, but simply by divine connection. You cannot have the Holy Spirit and not have joy; joy is one of the dimensions of the fruit of the Spirit. 

You can't have the Holy Spirit and not look forward to the amazing things that God will and is doing in your life. You know very clearly that your life is much more than what people can see. There is a depth to me that only God can fill, and as He fills it, my life becomes a visible and audible expression of His grace, power and mercy. Do you have the Holy Spirit? Do I? 

Patient in Tribulation: this is the part of the package we don't like to talk about. You cannot have triumphs without tests, and you can't have a testimony without a test. I also note that patience is one of the dimensions of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I need the Holy Spirit to help me face all that is coming; at no time did God ever promise that life will be all smooth and trial-free. 

The only way I can prepare for that which is coming is to have the help of the One who had seen it all and also overcame. His victory becomes my daily support and encouragement. The other thing that gives me hope is that nothing of this earth has the capacity to last forever. Only that which is eternal can help keep me focused on the right things. Can that which lives in me help me through the tough times that are coming? 

Continuing instant in prayer: the third dimension in today's verse is prayer. The secret to a life of impact is the invisible power source of prayer. The words used to describe the power of prayer are: continuing instant. Two words you don't usually use together. If it is instant, you use it once and for all, and you are done. Yet there is a continuing part, which means that prayer is both useful for the times when there is a sudden need and even when all seems well around you. 

You are not praying to avoid trouble, but you pray because you have found the source of power. You do not want to lose that source, so you keep plugging in, even on the days you are tempted to use other means. You have come to the point where it is God and no one else. You don't do it only when it is convenient, but at all times. You don't do it as a long-term project to be planned and budgeted for, but what you do on a regular basis. That is how you access power. 

I note that the focus is first on that which is internal, before the evidence can be celebrated on the external. The secret to the power they changes lives is that which is not obvious to the naked eye. We can celebrate and make noise about the visible and the audible but it will only remain noise and empty of real power unless they are subject to the control, influence and direction of the Wisdom and the Power of God. If I want it, I must be ready to pay the price for it. God's time of favour is here.