News Staff
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Where in the world today do we see the Spirit of God alive and at work? Do you see it in your church, or is your church just doing the same old thing, going through the motions of the service? Are there perhaps people in your community who are moved by the spirit to assist others, and do so in a spirit of kindness and love? If so, that is a clue to where to look for the Spirit of God, that is, where you see kindness and love you can be assured that God is there, for where there is love there is God. On the other hand, when you see a rigid adherence to rules as the guiding theme, one should be suspicious that we are in the presence of zealots, and perhaps even priests, but not necessarily in the presence of God. Where you see patience and forbearance in difficult circumstances you can be sure you are in the presence of God. Impatience and intolerance are almost always a sign of selfishness and putting one’s ego first. True religion, rather than being a rigid adherence to rules and commands (thou shalt not’s) is more often an openness to the spirit wherever it leads, and invariably it leads to a life of freedom, and especially a freedom from fear. – Christopher Simon