Thursday, June 8, 2017
THE BREATH OF GOD
There is one thing we have all done today. In fact, we have done it all our lives. On average we do it over 17,000 times each and every day. We breathe. God created us in such a marvelous way that our lungs continually and automatically take in breaths of life-sustaining oxygen needed by every cell in our body. It began with Adam: "God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). We can't survive without breathing. It's as simple as that.
It is likewise true that without a "breathing" faith, there is no salvation. Our spiritual life is a gift of God, just as our physical life is. The Holy Spirit has "breathed" new life into our sin-dead hearts. The word "spirit" in Greek means literally "wind" or "breath." With the news of Christ crucified and risen and the assurance that sinners are now reconciled with God, the Spirit has made us members of God's kingdom and heirs of heaven.
We recently celebrated the life-giving work of the Spirit, whose coming upon the apostles was marked by the sound of a rushing, mighty wind on the first Pentecost. So take a slow, deep breath. Thank the Lord for the breath upon which our lives depend. Then offer a prayer of praise for the much greater Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, who gives and preserves the life which never ends.
