For our Summer Bible Time activity on Friday, we went and flew kites at the school football field. We had a bunch of dollar store kites that we put together. We had to fix some of the kites before we even began, but amazingly, they all flew. At one point, all the kids had their kites up high in the air and some were at the end of their rolls of string. The kids were having fun.
But there was another time, a little while later, that all the kites were grounded. Not a single kite was up in the air. Here is what happened, the wind stopped. Fifteen minutes later, every kite was back up in the air again. Here is what happened, the wind picked up.
There is a level of skill to making a kite and flying it, but it is something that even a child can figure out and do. But there is one provision that every kite needs to fly. Every kite needs wind. Wind is what picks the kite up and makes kite flying enjoyable. Lack of wind makes for a miserable kite-flying experience. It is impossible to fly a kite without wind.
This is a good description of the Christian life. There are Christians who walk the walk and have great lives. They enjoy the blessings of being a Christian, enjoy life, and are productive. There are others who call themselves Christians and try really hard to walk the walk, but fail every time and are noticeably miserable. What is the power that enables us to get off the ground and enjoy the Christian life? It is the Spirit (pneuma, i.e. wind, air, breath) of God. When we walk in the Spirit, the Christian life works. When we try it alone, without the Spirit, the Christian life fails, every time.
God indwells, seals, baptizes, anoints, and gifts every born- again believer in Jesus Christ with the Spirit. Walk in the Spirt and enjoy all the blessings God promised you in the Christian life.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
(6/11/2017)