THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21
1 Corinthians 6:15-20
Ephesians 5:15-21

No Word, no light.

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT (II)

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor 6:19-20). The Apostle’s words recall our Lord’s promise in John 14:16 and 18.

If I am indwelt by the Spirit, He should be in control of my life. If Christ is Lord at all, He should be Lord over all. He should be in charge of every area of my life: my plans, ambitions, speech, conduct, lifestyle, and my service for Him. Only then can my life be holy, acceptable unto God which is my reasonable service, for I am not my own – I have been bought with a price, redeemed by the Saviour’s blood. Should I then not gratefully and willingly present my body to the Lord, a living sacrifice, fully surrendered and yielded to Him?

This is the Apostle’s constant exhortation in his epistles. His message is: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). Be not filled with the spirit of the vine and lose control of yourselves to the lusts of the flesh, for the spirit of the vine is the spirit of the world. If the spirit of the world is in control, then one’s life falls into every evil and carnal practice mentioned in Ephesians 4 and 5: the old man corrupt with deceitful lusts, corrupt communication, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, malice, fornication, covetousness – all the works of the devil.

Let not any believer yield himself to the evil spirit, but to the Holy Spirit. We belong to God: He dwells within us. Yield Him full control of our lives. Be filled with His Spirit. Surrender to the blessed Holy Spirit every area of our life: our work, studies, family and private life, our business, recreation, entertainment, hobbies, and our worship and service for the Lord. When we are filled with the Spirit, He gives power! Power to glorify God in everything we do!

THOUGHT: (Read Philippians 4:13.)
PRAYER: Lord, help me to yield my life to Thy control.