“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.)” (Romans 8:9 NLT)
What power does a glove possess? In and of itself, of what value does a glove have except to take up space in a drawer? But think of the countless scenarios in which a glove is an indispensable part of a vital solution. How many of us would allow a surgeon to touch us without a glove? What about our dentist?
Have you ever worked in the yard, especially around plants with stickers, without gloves? Think of all the sports that use gloves, as well as first responders and others who play such a vital role in our lives. A glove without a hand is useless, but a hand without a glove, in many instances, is limited as well.
Now think of your life as God’s “glove.” Do you think it was an accident that God said to Moses: “I will be with you.” And what were the last words of Jesus before He ascended back to the Father? “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
When I think of my life as a glove the words of Jesus in John 15 are amplified with meaning. Listen with your heart as He says to you: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” A life without a Savior is as useless as a glove without a hand.
“Yeh,” I can hear someone say, “but my life had a lot of use before I came to know Jesus!” None of eternal value! Jesus IS life! Without Him we may exist as a human being, but eternal life and usefulness for the Kingdom of God do not exist without a relationship with Him. I take His words above literally when He said that apart from Him, I can do nothing.
The gift of breath is His. He gave me lungs to breathe and physical life to carry out His eternal purposes. Apart from His Spirit living in me and you we’re useless for Kingdom purposes. That’s why Paul said in verse 16 that it’s the Spirit’s presence in our life that verifies that we’re God’s child. No Spirit = no life! Breathing air and having life are two very different things when it comes to walking with Jesus.
Being filled and empowered by God’s Spirit isn’t something that makes us special, it’s what creates the environment for us to make Jesus special. His power in us isn’t designed to give us recognition, but to allow and enable us to put Jesus on display in ways that honor and exalt Him.
God’s willingness to walk with Moses wasn’t so people could make much of Moses, but so that through Moses’ leadership the people could make much of God. Who would Moses have been apart from God? Who are any of the men and women who have been used mightily of God to show you and me the way to God? They were simply God’s “gloves” used in powerful, even miraculous ways, not because they were special, but because they were submissive to God’s authority in their lives.
To the extent your determination is to make much of God, to that extent God will fill, empower, and use you to His honor and fame. We are nothing apart from Him. Anything of value you glean from these posts is wholly because of God’s Spirit. When He stops speaking, I’ll stop writing. Until then I pledge to be the best “glove” He can enable me to be.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 