God’s Gifts, 4of15

~ The Gift of God’s Spirit ~

 

God’s Gifts Series  ~  God has given mankind many gifts.  In this series we will look at just a few of them.  There are so many aspects of God’s gifts which we regularly receive and give little or no thought to—such as the air we breathe and the light which enables us to see (and the capability to do both). 

 

Scripture  ~  “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.  Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell” (Nehemiah 9:20-21).

 

“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:5-11).

 

“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.  Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32-33).

 

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call’” (Acts 2:38-39).

 

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.  And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also” (Acts 10:44-45). 

 

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).

 

Closing Comment  ~  “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).  In one sense God’s “gift” is singular but His gifts are many with many facets (read 9:8-15). 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

 

Question – Jesus, 53

~ Regarding Image ~

 

Introduction  ~  This series is about questions involving Jesus.  Some were asked by individuals involved with Jesus Christ while He walked on earth.  Others are questions that Jesus Christ asked others.  We will look at questions on about 130 topics (some may split into two or more posts).  Even so, it is far from an exhaustive list. 

 

Scripture  ~  “Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?’  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, ‘Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.’

 

“So they brought it.  And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’  And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’  And they marveled at Him” (Mark 12:13-17).

 

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money.’ 

 

“So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’  And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’   When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way” (Matthew 22:15-22). 

 

Comment  ~  Jesus looked beyond the question to the motivation and root issue of the question.  He understood their heart, their attitude, and what was behind the question. 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

Be an insider!  Sign up for his author NEWSLETTER and receive occasional news and special offers.  His books have won national and international literary awards.  Subscribe today and receive a welcome gift.  Your email will never be sold, given, or used in any other way.  You can easily unsubscribe at any time. 

 

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

 

God Is My… (Psalms), 23

~ God Is My Strength, 4 ~

 

Introduction  ~  Previously from July 16, 2017 through January 6, 2019 ALN posted a series of 60 posts of “Jesus is…,” and now we look exclusively at who “God is…” from the Book of Psalms.  While not a complete list these posts occur are in the same order they are in the Psalms. 

 

Passage  ~  “For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake,

Lead me and guide me.  Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength.  Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth” (Psalm 31:3-5).    

 

Prior Passage  ~  I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my Rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:1-3).

 

“Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (Psalm 28:6-7).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

Be an insider!  Sign up for his author NEWSLETTER and receive occasional news and special offers.  His books have won national and international literary awards.  Subscribe today and receive a welcome gift.  Your email will never be sold, given, or used in any other way.  You can easily unsubscribe at any time. 

 

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .