Closer To Heaven
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Comments of the Week Aug 17-23 “Yes, praying changes things, mostly in me, not so much in God. But wouldn’t it be cool if we actually had a Divine vending machine?” –Glenn Sackett on EDITORIAL: Does Prayer Actually Do Anything? Comments on Should Adventists Support Mass Deportation; As the NPUC Constituency Meets, A Member Asks: […] Source: https://atoday.org/comments-of-the-week-aug-17-23/
If you could see every detail of God's hand in your life, you would not change a thing. You would only bow your head and say thank you. Reflect on that today. Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gz-iCafRQFw
Still awake?
August 23
More Than Water
Matthew 3:11“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Matthew 3:11
John stood in the Jordan and baptized people who had heard his message and wanted to return to God. They confessed their sins, entered the water, and publicly demonstrated that they did not want to simply continue living their old lives. Baptism with water was a visible sign of a decision that had begun within the heart.
But John knew that water alone could not transform a person from within. It can surround the body and become a powerful sign of repentance, but it cannot remove pride, jealousy, hatred, selfishness, or impure thoughts from the heart. John could baptize people, but he could not give them new hearts.
He therefore directed their attention back to Jesus and said: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John could immerse people in water; Jesus could renew their lives from within. This was the decisive difference. Being a Christian does not mean merely changing something outwardly. Jesus wants to go deeper. He wants to reach the heart.
A Visible Sign of a Deeper RealityIn the New Testament, baptism is not a meaningless tradition. Jesus himself was baptized and later commanded his disciples to teach and baptize people. It is a conscious and public decision through which someone declares: “I belong to Jesus. My old life should no longer rule over me. I want to begin a new life with him.”
Being lowered beneath the water reminds us of a burial. The old life is symbolically left behind. When the person rises out of the water again, it portrays a new life with Christ. But the outward action alone possesses no magical power. Water cannot save a person, and a ceremony cannot automatically renew the heart.
Someone can be baptized and still cling to pride. Someone can outwardly belong to a church while inwardly living far away from Jesus. Someone can know the right words, practice Christian habits, and still attempt to live without God. John therefore directs our attention beyond the water. We need more than an outward decision. We need God to work within us.
We need the Holy Spirit.
God Wants to Work Not Only Beside You, but Within YouThe Holy Spirit is not merely a religious feeling or an impersonal force. In the New Testament, he is revealed as the divine Helper whom Jesus promised to his followers. He guides us into truth, reminds us of the words of Jesus, convicts us of sin, gives us strength to obey, and shapes our character.
His work is not always spectacular. Sometimes it happens very quietly. You read a Bible passage that you may already know, and suddenly you realize: “This applies to me.” You want to say something hurtful, but your conscience warns you. You have done something wrong and feel the desire to apologize. You want to justify a temptation, but deep inside you know that Jesus has a different path for you.
Even the desire to know Jesus better can be part of this work. When you suddenly feel compassion for someone you would previously have ignored, when you find the strength not to make a wrong decision, or when you can forgive someone even though your pride would prefer to cling to the hurt, God is working in your heart.
The Holy Spirit does not make himself the center of attention. He leads us to Jesus and makes the character of Jesus increasingly visible in our lives.
You Cannot Repair Your Own HeartPerhaps you have often tried to change yourself. You decided to become more patient, react less angrily, read the Bible more regularly, or finally abandon a bad habit. Perhaps it even worked for a while. But eventually, you returned to old patterns and became disappointed with yourself.
Then the thought quickly arises: “My faith is simply too weak. Perhaps I will never change.”
But the Christian life does not consist of repairing ourselves through ever greater effort. Of course, we make decisions and accept responsibility for our actions. But we cannot give our own hearts new spiritual life. We can control our behavior, establish rules, and discipline ourselves for a while. The deepest transformation, however, can be accomplished only by God.
Imagine a phone with an empty battery. It may be modern and powerful, but when no energy remains, it does no good for the phone to “try harder.” It must be connected to a power source. In the same way, we need a power beyond ourselves. We need a connection with God.
Jesus does not merely say: “Try harder.” He gives us his Spirit so that living with him becomes possible.
Transformation Grows from the Inside OutPeople often attempt to produce transformation from the outside in. They pay attention to what others can see, change their language, behavior, or habits, and learn to make a good outward impression. It may even appear religious. But Jesus begins in the heart.
He wants to change not only what you do, but also why you do it. You may act kindly because you want other people to like you. The Holy Spirit wants to produce genuine love within you. You may tell the truth because you are afraid of being caught in a lie. God’s Spirit wants to make honesty part of your character. You may attend church because your family expects it. The Holy Spirit wants to awaken within you a genuine desire to meet God.
Genuine spiritual transformation is therefore more than good behavior. It means that the character of Jesus gradually becomes visible in your life.
This growth takes time. Fruit does not develop in a single day. A tree will not grow faster if you pull on its branches. It needs light, water, nourishment, and time. God’s Spirit also works patiently.
At first, you may notice only small changes. You react more calmly than you did in the past. You apologize more quickly. You remember Jesus in the middle of a difficult decision. You begin to view someone differently. Such changes may seem small, but they can be signs that God is already working in your heart.
The Holy Spirit Does Not Force YouGod could force people to do what is right. But he does not want programmed beings that obey mechanically. Love requires freedom. The Holy Spirit therefore does not work by switching off your personality or making your decisions for you. He speaks to your conscience, reminds you of God’s Word, convicts you, and invites you to follow Jesus.
Perhaps you are familiar with such moments. You are about to send a hurtful message and suddenly sense: “Wait. Do not do that.” You know that you should apologize, but your pride says: “The other person should come first.” At the same time, another thought arises within you: “You take the first step.”
Or perhaps you are facing a decision and suddenly remember a Bible verse that speaks directly to your situation.
The decision remains yours. God’s Spirit does not force you. You can listen or disregard his voice. The more you learn to respond to his guidance, the more sensitive you become to his work. However, if you repeatedly and deliberately ignore his voice, your heart can gradually become less responsive.
It is therefore important not only to ask: “Is God speaking to me?” but also: “What do I do when he speaks to me?”
Why Does John Also Speak About Fire?John said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire has several meanings in the Bible. It can be connected with God’s presence, represent purification, and also point to the judgment in which evil will ultimately be eliminated. The context shows that John was reminding his listeners that an encounter with Jesus never remains without consequences.
Jesus does not come merely to give us a pleasant religious feeling. He comes to save and transform us. In doing so, he also wants to remove from our lives whatever is destroying us. Pride, hatred, unforgiveness, impurity, dishonesty, and selfishness do not belong to the new life he wants to give us.
This can sometimes be uncomfortable. When God shows us what is wrong within our hearts, we may feel exposed. But his purpose is not to leave us without hope. He reveals wounds because he wants to heal them. He reveals sin because he wants to forgive and set us free.
Sin says: “Hide.” Jesus says: “Come to me.”
Guilt says: “There is no hope for you.” Jesus says: “I can make you new.”
We therefore do not need to run away from God’s purifying work. We may open our hearts to him.
The Holy Spirit Is Not Only for Special PeoplePerhaps when you think about someone filled with the Holy Spirit, you imagine a pastor, a missionary, or a person who has been a Christian for many years. But Jesus did not promise the Holy Spirit only to a small spiritual elite. All his followers need him.
You do not need God’s Spirit only when you want to speak about Jesus before a large crowd. You need him tomorrow morning when you wake up tired and become irritated during your first conversation. You need him at school or at work when you are under pressure. You need him when you are alone with your phone and no one can see what you are watching. You need him when a friend hurts you, when you must make a difficult decision, or when you are afraid to speak openly about your faith.
The Holy Spirit works precisely in these everyday situations. He does not give strength only for extraordinary moments. He wants to transform your ordinary life.
The Christian life therefore does not begin each morning with the thought: “Today I will try especially hard to do everything correctly.” A far better prayer is: “Dear Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit today and help me live with Jesus.”
Being Filled Means Giving Jesus RoomImagine a glass that is already filled to the brim. If something new is to be poured into it, everything else cannot remain unchanged inside. Our hearts can also be filled with many things: worries, entertainment, comparison, ambition, personal plans, or the constant concern about what others think of us.
Not all these things are automatically wrong. But even good things can occupy so much space that we can barely hear God’s voice.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit therefore also means making room for God. Perhaps something must lose its controlling position. Perhaps you need fewer distractions and more silence. Perhaps you need to abandon a habit. Perhaps you need to stop making your identity dependent upon the opinions of others.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean constantly experiencing extraordinary feelings. Sometimes his work becomes visible precisely when you remain calm, even though you would like to explode; when you tell the truth, even though a lie would be easier; when you have peace, even though your situation has not yet been resolved; or when you do what is right, even though no one applauds you.
God’s Spirit does not transform only special moments. He transforms everyday life.
Jesus Wants to Be Closer to You Than You ThinkJesus did not come merely to spend a few years walking beside people on this earth. Through the Holy Spirit, he wants to remain continually near his followers. He does not want to be merely a name in your Bible, a story from church, or a person you read about in a devotional every evening.
He wants to shape your life.
This does not mean that you will no longer have problems. Nor does it mean that you will never doubt or fall again. But you no longer need to face life alone. God’s Spirit reminds you of Jesus, leads you to his Word, strengthens you in the struggle against sin, and shapes your character.
Perhaps you think you are not yet good enough for this. But the Holy Spirit does not come because you are already perfect. He works because you need transformation. He does not come because you are strong enough, but because your own strength is insufficient. He does not come because you already understand everything, but to guide and teach you.
Your task is therefore not to make yourself perfect first and then come to Jesus. You may come to him today and say: “Here I am. Please transform me.”
A Deeper Request for This EveningPerhaps you often pray for God to change your circumstances: “Help me with this exam. Solve this problem. Make sure that everything goes well tomorrow. Change this person.” We are allowed to pray such prayers. Our loving Father also cares about our everyday concerns.
But this evening, you can ask for something even deeper: “Dear Father, do not only change my situation. Transform me through your Holy Spirit.”
Perhaps the difficult person will still be difficult tomorrow. Perhaps your problem will not disappear immediately. Perhaps your day will not become easier. But you can face it as a person in whom God’s Spirit is working.
Sometimes the greater miracle is not that God immediately calms the storm. Sometimes the miracle is that he transforms your heart in the middle of the storm.
Think About ItDo you sometimes try to live with Jesus primarily through your own strength? In which area do you especially need the transforming power of the Holy Spirit? Is there anything occupying so much space in your heart that God’s voice can barely be heard?
Challenge for TomorrowBegin tomorrow with a simple prayer: “Dear Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit today. Let me think, speak, and act as Jesus would.”
During the day, intentionally pause once or twice and ask yourself: “What does God’s Spirit want to show me right now?” Pay particular attention to the small decisions, because the deepest transformation often begins precisely there.
PrayerDear Father,
Thank you that Jesus not only shows me how I should live, but also wants to give me the power for a new life through the Holy Spirit. You know how often I try to change through my own strength and how quickly I become disappointed when I fall back into old habits.
Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Open my heart to your voice and show me what I need to release. Transform not only my outward behavior, but also my thoughts, desires, and motives.
Let the love, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control of Jesus grow in my life. Help me listen to your voice when you warn or correct me or invite me to take a good step.
I want to open every area of my life to you. Thank you that I do not need to make myself perfect first, but that you are ready to accomplish your work within me.
Amen.
Sleep well.
Tomorrow, you do not need to try to live with Jesus through your own strength. Your loving Father gives you his Spirit and wants to transform your heart from within.
See you tomorrow.
No. The General Conference president is the elected head of the General Conference administrative headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Right now that is Erton Köhler. He chairs committees, helps set direction, and represents the church worldwide. That is the job. He is not a pope. The Catholic system centers authority in one man who, […] Source: https://atoday.org/is-the-gc-president-the-pope-of-the-adventist-church/
This issue of Adventist Journey highlights Alex Cortes, a musician, marketer, recording artist, and Adventist — and the journey that helped bring him to where he is today. Watch the entire interview and read his thoughts at nadadventist.org #nadadventist #adventistjourney #adventist #adventistchurch Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n9rw5lOwuv4
Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]
