To the Very End

You might expect the last few weeks of the semester to be a time of wrapping things up and tying ends together. That's what I sure was expecting. But I was wrong. And I am so glad.

Instead of winding down, I have found myself pressing forward over these last few days of my time here at Harding University. Yes, my final exams are finished and all assignments are turned in, but Jesus has not stopped working. In fact, He has been showing me knew and exciting things...all the way to the very end. The spiritual growth never stops because the Spirit never ceases moving, blowing, and turning hearts.

Just when I was expecting things to wind down and come to a conclusion, here comes the Spirit moving in waves, stirring me up from the inside out.

First of all, He has opened my eyes to see how active He is on this campus. I have some friends who are so in love with the Spirit that they went out onto the front lawn of campus the other day and asked the Lord to send someone to them who was hungering and thirsting. Within a few minutes, a random man (who is not even a student at Harding) unexpectedly walked up to them and sat down in their circle. They talked with him for an hour or so, shared with Him about the Lord, and prayed with the man.

Then last night, I attended a devotional at a professor's house. This professor and his wife are pretty well known for their love for the Lord and their spiritual care for students. I had always wanted to meet them but had never been to their house before this night. I sat in the floor of their living room and listened to them passionately tell life stories about living the Jesus-life and being absolutely and completely led and directed by the Spirit in extraordinary ways - ways that almost seem unbelievable.

It is like all the things I have known about the Spirit are moving from my head deeper and deeper down into my heart. These are things like:

The Spirit is in relationship with us, dwelling inside of us.

The Spirit gives us direct access to God, intercedes for us, and gives us freedom to approach Him with boldness and confidence.

The Spirit moves like the wind; you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.

In all this, I wonder, do I cut short my relationship with the Holy Spirit? I am challenged to tap into that relationship with the Him, going deeper and deeper into unity with Him. He is the life-changing power that I want to flow freely in my life and outwardly to the world in which I interact.

I am learning that the Spirit speaks. It is okay to ask questions like, "Where do you want me to go right now?" "What do you want me to do?" And He will answer.

It is okay to ask boldly for things in accordance with God's will. "Send me someone who is hungering and thirsting after you." "Show me someone right now who I can love in your name." And He will answer.

The Spirit is not a magical force. He is not a genie-like being that answers our prayers and makes us feel good and powerful. It is not about being dangerously charismatic or super-spiritual. I think it is possible to go too far and lose focus by thinking in these ways. But our central and undivided focus needs to be on Christ and exalting Him above all else. Being Spirit-led is being in complete dependency on Him, desiring His presence more than anything else and finding ultimate satisfaction in having a relationship with Him.

So God just never stops teaching me, molding me, stretching me. Even to the very last of my days at Harding, He is showing me just how much I need to grow. And it is so exciting! I am convinced now more than ever that now is not the time to "settle down" or "wind down" with the Spirit. Living in Christ is a constant adventure, a wild ride, a never-ending pressing toward deeper and deeper love.