Good morning Holy Spirit. Greeting the Spirit has become a pleasant practice. Each day, and all day, I require his help to produce good fruit. Some of those fruits are patience and self-control. The Spirit helps me, guides me, influences me, but he doesn’t force.
Here’s What Happened
I had a project last night. A piece of furniture was delivered and printed on the box was, “Some Assembly Required.” Uh Huh.
“Some Assembly Required,” was code for blocking out 3.5 hours, reading the directions dozens of times, and for sticking my patience to that sticking place, for I would be sorely tested.
First Of All
The directions were in French and I don’t read French. Okay, they weren’t in French but they might as well have been. The assembly involved multiple thousands of screws, dowels, cams, cam screws, reinforcement brackets, shelf pins, shelves and all the stuff that holds the shelves. From 5:30-9:00 I was invested: heart, mind, and soul.
Did I Finish?
Yes, I did. It was a fun project and I enjoyed doing it and it gave me a real sense of achievement. Just kidding. Actually, it was frustrating and I nearly lost my religion over it. And I missed Monday night football. Okay, it was a game I didn’t care about but it was on TV!
Some Perspective: What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus was a builder, a carpenter, and he could have assembled it in 30 minutes or less, and not be grumpy, and still watched the game. But I’m not Jesus.
We used to ask the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” We had all kinds of WWJD paraphernalia. The fad passed but the question remains. I don’t know if he assembled cabinets or not but here’s a few things he did:
- Lived a perfect life in obedience to the Law of Moses.
- Honored his father and mother.
- Grew up in stature, favor, and wisdom with God and man.
- Was immersed in dedication, preparation, and holiness.
- Received the Holy Spirit.
- Went into the Judean desert and triumphed over evil.
- Trained disciples to disciple the world.
- Healed thousands and fed tens of thousands.
- Sacrificed his life for all mankind.
- Rose from the dead.
- Ascended to the Father.
- Sent the Holy Spirit.
By Comparison
I guess by comparison my little project seems pretty small. I guess compared to Jesus, all our projects are pretty small. He’s pretty impressive.
Ask Jesus how he prepared men to take the gospel to the world. Ask him to explain living a sinless life. Ask him about the cross, eternity, and the providence of God.
Crossing The Finish Line
Aren’t we glad he did all of that for all of us? Aren’t we glad he paid it all, finished the race, and completed the Father’s will? Of course we are.
Some assembly required, good morning Holy Spirit!
Rick Fyffe 