Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

Unlimited Power!

[Jesus continued,] “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. – John 3:8 NIV

As a young boy, I remember taking apart an old clock radio to figure out how it worked. I learned a great deal — including the importance of unplugging something electrical before taking it apart! But, I can’t figure out the way the Spirit works on the hearts of men and women to bring them to Jesus and to give them new birth. I can see the changes in people’s lives. I can hear their confession of faith. I can watch them being baptized. But each of these things is evidence of the greater reality that I cannot fully comprehend or explain — they are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives to open their hearts to Jesus and surrender to him as Lord, to cleanse them of their sin, to live inside of them, and to include them in the family of God. However, I am thankful that I recognize that Jesus said I couldn’t fully comprehend this new birth but also that I have repeatedly seen the Spirit make incredible differences in the lives of people. While, according to the old English adage, you might not be able to “teach an old dog new tricks,” I know that the Holy Spirit can give anyone, young or old, new life!


Thank you, dear God, for things beyond my ability to comprehend fully — things like your holiness, your grace, and your love. I am thankful today for the work of the Holy Spirit to bring new birth into the lives of people. I confess that I do not fully comprehend how all of this happens, but I do believe the Holy Spirit makes it happen. So thank you! Thank you for your mysteries and thank you for your gift of the Spirit. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

What?

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.” – John 3:4-5 NLT

We can begin life all over again. This new beginning is called the new birth. We can be “born of God” (John 1:12-13). While a physical rebirth is not possible, each true follower of Jesus is “born of water and the Spirit.” Confessing Jesus as Lord, sharing with him in his death, burial, and resurrection through baptism, and being cleansed and filled by the Holy Spirit give us a new life. What we once were is gone, and we become new creations in Jesus through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Life begins again; only this time, our new life happens because of the cleansing and power of the Holy Spirit who then lives in us!

Father God, thank you. Thank for making me new, fresh, and clean. Thank you for reminding me of the new birth by living in me through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, I offer you my thanks! Amen.

 

Holiness cannot be contained.

[John the Baptizer continued,] “I didn’t know [Jesus] was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” – John 1:33-34 NLT

John doesn’t claim that he has any special knowledge of Jesus’ identity because of insider information as a cousin of Jesus. No, John’s recognition was based on the revelation from God and the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God’s Chosen One, and a key part of Jesus’ role as the Chosen One is baptizing people with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ identity, ministry, and message are all tied to the work of the Holy Spirit! We can’t follow Jesus without a deep appreciation and recognition of the vital role the Spirit plays in Jesus’ life as well as our own!
Gracious God, the Almighty, who has chosen to dwell in my heart through your Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing yourself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Be at work in my life through the Spirit. Purify my heart, transform my mind, and empower my actions so that I will honor you and help others know your Son. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

Yet to be written!

Some of you were once [living sinful lives].
But you were cleansed;
you were made holy;
you were made right with God
by calling on the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and
by the Spirit of our God.
– 1Corinthians 6:11 NLT

The verses leading up to this passage give a laundry list of sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Then Paul makes two points using the verb “were.” His first point is that some of us “were” people habitually living those sins! The second point is that now, however, we live with a new reality because we “were” cleansed and made right with God. We can call this “the grace of were.” We are no longer guilty of the sin we used to commit. We are no longer under the condemnation of our rebellion and failures. We are no longer slaves to the old way of life, to what we “were”! Rather, because the Holy Spirit entered our lives to sanctify us — to make us holy, new, clean, pure, valuable — we ARE holy and right with God. Each of us is a new creation and lives in a whole new world (2 Corinthians 5:17). Such is the power of the Holy Spirit and the gift of the Spirit’s grace and presence.

Father, thank you that I am not who I used to be. Thank you that all the old is gone and the new has come. I pray that I will live out this new life in holiness and honor, empowered by the Holy Spirit and conformed each day to be like my Savior, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

 

Rich or Poor?

The Lord does not look
at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the
outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.
– 1 Samuel 16:7

Have you ever wondered how many potentially good friends you may have lost simply by judging them on your first impression of them? I’m amazed at how the first impression very seldom tells us much of substance about another person. We’re not really going to be able to evaluate people properly until the Lord reveals at judgment what is really in their hearts. Don’t you think that we should give them time to reveal what is in their hearts before we make a decision about them?! Let’s don’t just look on the outward appearance!

Father, you alone know each heart. Please help me be more patient with others before forming an opinion about them. Please give me eyes to see them as Jesus does. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Active listening requires a response…

Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
– James 1:22

What we know and what we believe are not all that significant if they do not show up in the way we live our daily lives. Pure and simple, faith not lived out in everyday life is not faith; it is facade. Just as Jesus had told us to put into practice what we have learned from him, his brother James reminds us the same thing: when we learn the truth of God’s word, there is only one thing left for us to do: put it into practice!

Holy God, help me put into practice what I know is your will and your truth today. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

The Fire of the Spirit

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Romans 12:11

The phrase, “keep your spiritual fervor” is an idiom that literally means “to boil in the spirit.” We are to be on fire with the Holy Spirit! That’s the key to “never be lacking in zeal” and “serving the Lord.” Inspired, empowered, and filled with the Holy Spirit, we can be passionate for Jesus.

O God, I want to honor you in all I do. I want Jesus to be seen in my actions and speech. I want to reflect your righteous character and your gracious compassion and I know that without the Spirit’s cleansing and power, I can’t do it. So fill me with your Spirit, cleanse my heart and make it yours. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Better to leave it alone…

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Galatians 5:16 (NIV)

The spiritual condition in our country today allows for an “anything goes” type of belief system. This is not the plan that God has established for us. Chasing after gratification and satisfaction in the earthly realm is a sure formula for decay. Hostility toward God is being championed in our society today and the Christians largely remain silent. Let’s begin deliberately living by the Spirit and challenge those who defy and seek to destroy Christ.

Father in Heaven, forgive us our sins of complacency and kindle the fires of the Holy Spirit in our hearts once again. Help us to shine in a world of darkness and to be beacons of hope and grace to the lost and wandering souls of this earth. May our fervor for Christ show a love for all people while keeping distinct adherence to all that is holy and righteous as we endeavor to follow your will for us in daily living. Amen

Living Water

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 
John 7:37-38 (NIV)

Streams of water — living water for dying hopes, cool water for parched hearts, refreshing water for those tired and weary. This is, of course, much more than a liquid we can drink with our lips. This is the ultimate water of the soul that God longs to give to us, his children. Let’s spend the month of August, refreshing ourselves with the promises of Jesus and trusting that, as we draw close to him, the Spirit will restore our soul.

Loving Father, thank you for sending Jesus to save me and the Holy Spirit to sustain and renew me. Please bless me, especially this month, as I seek to draw closer to my Savior and restore my soul with the refreshing living water of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Right with God

Some of you were once [living sinful lives]. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
– 1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT

The verses leading up to this passage give a laundry list of sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Then Paul makes two points using the verb “were.” His first point is that some of us “were” people habitually living those sins! The second point is that now, however, we live with a new reality because we “were” cleansed and made right with God. We can call this “the grace of were.” We are no longer guilty of the sin we used to commit. We are no longer under the condemnation of our rebellion and failures. We are no longer slaves to the old way of life, to what we “were”! Rather, because the Holy Spirit entered our lives to sanctify us — to make us holy, new, clean, pure, valuable — we ARE holy and right with God. Each of us is a new creation and lives in a whole new world (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV). Such is the power of the Holy Spirit and the gift of the Spirit’s grace and presence.

Father, thank you that I am not who I used to be. Thank you that all the old is gone and the new has come. I pray that I will live out this new life in holiness and honor, empowered by the Holy Spirit and conformed each day to be like my Savior, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.