Saturday, June 2, 2007
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
THE BEST OF GIFTS
About a century ago a man named Russell Conwell told a story that clearly struck a note with thousands. He delivered his story, "Acres of Diamonds", over 6,000 times all over the U.S. Conwell told of a man who spent most of his life fruitlessly traveling the world in search of treasure, only to return home and find a huge number of diamonds in his own backyard. The moral of the story: Be sure and use the resources you already have before going in search of something else.
As Christians we have been given many gifts -- resources for use in living in the service of our Savior. Love, joy, peace, prayer, the Word of God, Baptism, the Lord's Supper -- to name a few in no particular order. But when Jesus said God knows how to give His children the best of gifts, the gift He spoke of was the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
Clearly, in the Spirit of God we Christ-believers have an unmatched source of power for living -- One that is not distant or requires difficult searching. For the Holy Spirit abides within each of us, dwells in the heart. Let us, then, daily, consciously, actively use the gift of the Spirit. Look to Him in decision-making, in fighting off temptation, in speaking of the Savior, in living as one of Christ's own. And never forget that the Spirit's chosen power-tool is the Gospel of Christ in Word and Sacrament.
See, to Thee I yield my heart.
Shed Thy life through every part;
A pure temple I would be,
Wholly dedicate to Thee.
(The Lutheran Hymnal 234:6)
