Spirit of Life

LIFE--What does it mean? The New World Dictionary has a long section on the word "life". The two which I will quote are: 1. The cellular biochemical activity or process of an organism, characterized by the ingestion of nutrients, storage and use of energy, the excretion of waste, growth, reproduction. 2. Something essential to the continued existence of something else.

Both of these make me think of the Holy Spirit. We need to continually feed on Him, store the Word in our hearts, and in return show His love to the world around us. The Holy Spirit is essential to our Spiritual life, to helping us grow and obey God's command to "be ye Holy as I am Holy," and to bring others to know Him. In the 1950's when Dawson Trotman founded the Navigators, his idea was that we are 'born to reproduce', with reference to our Spiritual birth. Life begets life.

When we invite Jesus into our hearts, we become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. It is a misnomer to pray for more of the Holy Spirit, as when He comes in, He is ALL there. It is we who must give Him control of all of us, not just pieces or parts of us. John 3:34b tells us this: "God does not give him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!" (Amplified) We are either 'alive' or we are 'dead'. When we receive the Holy Spirit we have ALL of Him. If we do not have all of Him, then we have no life at all and we are still dead in our sin. It is up to us how much we will yield to His control, but He is ALL there ready and willing to give us a healthy spiritual life.

Romans 8 is a chapter filled with verses telling of the Spirit of Life. Verse 2 of chapter 8 reads:"For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made the dead dwells in you. He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." The end of II Cor. 3:6 states "but the Spirit giveth Life." Verse 18 of I peter 3 is "...but made alive by the Spirit."

He is a quickening Spirit. He gives us 'new life' and we become 'born again'. Romans 8:10 reads "and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."

1. From the heart of Carol Coblentz
2. New World Dictionary 3rd Edition
3. A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy (San Francisco, CA HarperSanFrancisco 1961) Pg.27