“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:11-13…………
Some people are so filled with the Spirit of God, have so filled themselves with the Word of God in their own personal study and time with Him and by preaching of His Word, and are so totally devoted to Christ above all and anyone else that Christ’s love and the joy of God simply pour out of them, and so abundantly pour out of them that even when I receive an email from that person, that even when I’m on the phone with that person, that even when I just think of that person, I am reminded of the love and mercy and glory and presence and majesty of God almighty in Christ Jesus. So I was not in the least surprised when a sister in the Lord who perfectly fits this description sent me a thoroughly joyful email shortly before driving off to an “infusion clinic” to begin chemotherapy despite not receiving the supernatural healing she and her husband and I and so many others had prayed for. Was she bitter, angry, self-pitying, complaining? No, she was delighting herself in the love and joy of Christ and being a bright, light- and love-filled vessel of God’s such that He was pouring Himself through her to others like myself and undoubtedly countless others.
She knew good and well she was being sent on a mission to the infusion clinic, as we had discussed in several telephone calls. For the Lord in His loving-kindness had shown us that His decision to necessitate medical treatment for her healing would provide an awesome opportunity for her to go into medical facilities to patients and families and staff alike to share the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and to help people find and follow Jesus as Lord. Furthermore, He had shown her that whereas the health-care workers planned to infuse her body with chemotherapy, that in reality she has been, and is being, and will be forever infused with God’s Spirit, with His love and mercy and endless spiritual blessings, and with His heavenly Word, the Bible.
My sister, infused with His salvation, Spirit, and Word, with His love and patience and goodness and all else the Lord gives His devoted followers, spends her life loving, praising, and glorifying God, and being used by God as His vessel to infuse His Gospel message and love and such into others.
All Christ’s followers are sealed with the Holy Spirit and indwelt by Him, but there is also what for some is simultaneous with being born again through repentance and committing one’s life to Christ and what for others is subsequent, and what can be asked for and received, a so-called baptism of the Holy Spirit whereby Christ’s followers are given by God’s Spirit the power and equipping and gifts to be used by God to help build His Kingdom of followers.
Just as my friend was going to an infusion clinic to be infused medically, we who follow Jesus need to be infused continually with God’s Word and His Spirit, and this takes asking, and receiving, and it takes diligent devotedness daily to spending time with the Lord in His Word, and seeking, hearing, obeying, praying to, praising, and worshiping Him and ever living to bring Him love and glory!