THE INSPIRATION OF THE ALMIGHTY
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the original meaning of the word “inspire” was “to breathe, or blow upon or into,” and, “to infuse life into by breathing.” Before Jesus ascended to heaven after His death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and said to them, “Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” Scripture says that He then breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Also, when God created man, He breathed into Him the breath of life, and from that time on man could only survive as he continued to draw breath. When Jesus breathed on the disciples that day, however, it was something more. It was the infusing of the Holy Spirit into their lives; and just as it was necessary for them to breathe to sustain their life, it would now be necessary for them to draw life from Jesus through the Holy Spirit that He breathed into them.
It is this breath of God, this inspiration of the Almighty; that is
vital to the Christian life. It places
the Christian in a different dimension from those who have not been born
again. Others may be content to merely
suck air, but the Christian survives on inspiration. It’s what sets him apart and makes the work
that he does for Christ effectual. It’s
this inspiration from God that also reveals God’s nature to the man/woman of
God so that they can be changed into His image.
In the 1st Book of the Chronicles, the 28th
chapter, we read about King David of Israel passing on to his son Solomon the
reins of the kingdom. He knew that his
days were numbered, and he wanted to prepare his son for this most difficult
task of ruling the Kingdom of the Jews.
David encouraged his son to “…know
the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart, and a willing mind:
for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of
the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake
Him, He will cast thee off forever.”
After this, David gave to Solomon the pattern for the building of the
house of God. This was not just
something that some architects and engineers had drawn up - this was altogether
unique. David said that the Lord’s hand
was upon him, and had inspired him to
write down this pattern in every detail.
He furthermore instructed his son to follow the pattern to the letter
and not deviate. David knew how critical
it was to follow the inspired pattern.
This was the only way that God would be honored by this great monument
to His glory. God didn’t want man’s
ideas or influence in the building of His house – it had to be according to His
plan only – man would only seek to glorify himself with his ideas and design,
and not God.
Today, we have been given a pattern from which we must never
deviate. It is Jesus Christ
Himself. It is His likeness that we must
adorn, not merely being conformed into
it, but being transformed into it. Christ must be the inspiration for everything
that we do. Contained in the pattern of His
life is the plan for the building of His Church also. This is the Church Universal, the Church of
the Firstborn, the Church of Those Whose Names are Written in Heaven. It is not a building; it is a people. It is not a denomination or an organization;
it is a living organism. It is comprised
of those who breathe the breath of Jesus Christ; who are learning to move and
walk in the Spirit of God. Its members
are those who live for the inspiration of the Almighty and who desire to build
their lives according to the pattern of the Son of God.
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