Be Immersed In The Holy Spirit
Living From What We Are Soaked In
“Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.” John 15:4
What Is A Dry Sponge Good For?
A sponge was made to absorb.
Leave it dry, and it becomes stiff and nearly useless. Spray a little water on the surface, and it may look wet for a while, but it will not hold much, and it will not last.
We can live our spiritual lives that way too—spraying a little Jesus onto ourselves here and there, hoping it will be enough to carry us through.
Jesus invites us into something much fuller.
Remain In Me
He says, “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.”
A sponge becomes useful when it is immersed until the water fills every open space within it. In the same way, we learn to live by becoming increasingly aware of the Life and Love of Jesus already surrounding and filling us.
His Spirit is not an addition to our life. He is the One in whom we live, move, and have our being.
What Is In Us Comes Out
Once a sponge is soaked, pressure does not create the water inside it. It simply releases what is already there.
Life does the same with us.
Relationships stretch us. Disappointment comes. Pressure rises. And in those moments, what fills us begins to come out.
That is why our deepest need is not more effort. It is deeper awareness of His presence and Love.
As we remain in Him, His patience, mercy, kindness, courage, and Love begin to flow through our ordinary lives into the lives of others.
Stay Soaked
Our purpose is not something we strain to accomplish.
It flows from being deeply immersed in the Life of Jesus.
Stay in His Love long enough that when life squeezes you, Love is what comes out.
Reflection
What have I been trying to produce in my own strength?
What am I allowing to fill me each day?
What might others experience if I lived more consciously from His presence?
Prayer
Abba Father, immerse me again in Your Love. Let the Life of Jesus within me become what others experience through me. Amen.