What's Inside?
(From April 2004)

A package, neatly wrapped in bright paper, a big loosely tied bow taped
to the top and a card with your name on it. A Christmas, birthday gift, 
perhaps a Mother's day or Father's day gift...maybe even a graduation 
or retirement present. No matter what the reason, a gift with your name
on it always comes with the same question. What's inside? The size of
the package may fool you, the weight, if it rattles or is soft...all clues, 
but not the answer. Sometimes what's inside isn't what you'd expect.

Sometimes, there's even another wrapped package inside, then another
and another.... Some of the tiniest ones hold the biggest gift, the big 
ones hold more paper than gift. But, any time you receive a gift, with 
your name on it, you'll smile. I once wrapped a package that only held
a piece of paper, with instructions to the next one. That one held 
another piece of paper with instructions, and so on.... Finally the real
gift was discovered, then opened. I disguised a fishing rod once, by
putting the pieces inside cardboard tubes and using more tubes to 
make a triangle. All to keep the question alive. What's inside? 

What's inside is important. In gifts...and in people too. If what's inside
you is sinful, you may feel guilt, shame and have a poor outlook on 
life. If what's inside you is the Holy Spirit.... You know what it is to 
feel perfection in the works. You won't be perfect...not in and of your
own person. But God will perfect you as you grow and learn from the
Holy Spirit. Jesus left the Holy spirit behind...rather He opened the 
way for the Holy Spirit to become part of us. If you have the Spirit of
God inside, the sin that used to live there...is dead. 
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost....Amen!
------------------------------------------

Father, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We want to know what
it is to be clean inside. We need to be led and perfected by Your Holy
Spirit in us. Help us to be filled with Your Spirit and know complete 
forgiveness. Help us to let go of our past and it's sin...to embrace the 
new creature You make of us. Forgive our sins as we forgive other 
sinners. In the name of Jesus we pray....
Amen.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives  
in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who 
loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, 
for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for 
nothing!"
Galatians 2:20,21 NIV

Steve ___________________



© 2004 Steve Green



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