So far in this Holy Spirit series, we've learned that the Holy Spirit has always been a part of the Trinity from the first moments of creation, that the Spirit can be termed as "the little piece of God in us," and that the Holy Spirit serves in each of our lives as counselor, advocate, truthful guide, sanctifier, and completer.
I want to conclude by sharing ideas on how we can live daily with the Spirit.
I feel like prayer changes when we realize the Spirit is present within us. Instead of shooting prayers through the ceiling toward heaven, we pray to the part of God that is inches away if that. We are together in the same room, the same space, the same moment. Prayer becomes a conversation that can last throughout the day. We can pray reverently as well, but it can feel like the Spirit laying hands on us as we pray, a novel image to use.
Living daily with the Spirit means we are constantly open to direction and to all the Spirit roles mentioned above. We are molded bit by bit into the character of Jesus, pottery shaped and re-shaped throughout our day and week. Ideally, we begin to realize that eternity starts now; we tend to think that we'll be with God someday after death, and eternal life will start then. But God is with us today in the Spirit, so our eternal walk is already taking place.
If this realization makes you feel more reverent and awed by the Spirit's presence, that is good, but I think we can go deeper into a more intimate relationship with the Spirit. In my book, Live Like You're Loved, I shared a poem by Niko Kazantzakis that expresses how that intimacy can look each day.
My prayer is not the whimpering of a beggar nor a confession of love. Nor is it the trivial reckoning of a small tradesman: Give me, and I shall give you.
My prayer is the report of a soldier to his general: This is what I did today, this is how I fought to save the entire battle in my own sector, these are the obstacles I found, this is how I plan to fight tomorrow.
My God and I are horsemen galloping in the burning sun or under drizzling rain. Pale, starving, but unsubdued, we ride and converse.
“Leader!” I cry. He turns his face towards me, and I shudder to confront his anguish.
Our love for each other is rough and ready. We sit at the same table, we drink the same wine in this low tavern of life.
God joins us in this low tavern of life through the Holy Spirit. Let us ride daily with the Spirit and connect deeply through all the grime and weariness that life can be.
Let me offer you a way to hear the Holy Spirit's voice through my mini-eBook, "Seven Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us." You can register either by visiting CecilTaylorMinistries.com and responding to the pop-up box, or by directly visiting CecilTaylorMinistries.com/free-gift-registration.
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