Do You Have an Excellent Spirit?

From The Desk of Rev. Carol Arvin

Dear reader, 

This morning I am remembering a verse of an old spiritual song called, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” some of the words of the song that I can remember are, “I looked over Jordan and what did I see? I saw a group of people, and I knew they were God’s children, because I saw them doing right!”  In this day and age in which we are living, it seems to me that there is much wrong going on all around us. Many, including some our leaders are calling good bad; and bad good.  Truly, today there needs to be a greater reverential fear of God in people’s lives.

Spiritually speaking, there is a road that leads onward and upward up to heaven: and it is a narrow path that leads to heaven, leaving death and hell and destruction behind. Let us as Christians make it a point to stay in habitual fellowship with the Lord. If we read the word of God daily our faith will increase. And by reading the word of God we can keep our focus on doing what is right in God’s eyes according to His word to us.

I believe the closer we walk with the Lord the more effective we will be in within our own lives, homes, neighborhoods, states, and in the nations of the world individually, and collectively. King Hezekiah for example was righteous before the Lord because he went about keeping the commandments of the Lord and doing right. When our actions are right: we honor ourselves, our consciences are clear, and we bring honor to God and please Him.

So many times in scripture we see where God blessed those who acted righteously. 2Kings 18:5-7(amp.) for example reads: Hezekiah trusted in, lean on, and was confident in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that neither after him nor before him was anyone of all the kings of Judah like him. For, he clung and held fast to the Lord and ceased not to follow Him, but kept his commandments as the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with Hezekiah; he prospered wherever he went.

We can see in this scripture that the Lord prospered the king wherever he went. In Daniel 6:21-23(amp.) for example, when king Darius called to Daniel who was put in the lion’s den for praying to his God.  The king asked Daniel: “ O Daniel, servant of the living God is your God whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, O king live forever!

22). My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions mouths so, that that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent and blameless before Him; [as you very well know] I have done no harm or wrong. In verse 23, we see where the King was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken out of the lion’s den. No hurt of any kind was found on Daniel because he believed in (relied on, adhered to and trusted in) his God. Those who accused Daniel were thrown into the lion’s den and perished before they hit the bottom as the lions devoured them. I am relatively sure from the lion’s point of view they had looked at what they thought would be dinner all night only to have dinner taken away, so when those who plotted against Daniel to have him destroyed because of jealousy and envy, were throw into the lion’s den; dinner had become a reality to the lions and they consumed the people immediately.  God protected Daniel because he had integrity; he was faithful, and just in his actions. From the book of Daniel as we read we find that God blessed Daniel because he loved God, served Him faithfully, and he treated others right also.

It might behoove us to take a look at our lives to see if our motives have been in line with the guide lines set for us in the ten commandments of the bible. Whether we have been righteous in our actions or not lets us strive to go forward in righteousness so that we may obtain a close walk with God daily.

My goal is in whatever I under take to do: if I am at home, or elsewhere is: to do what needs to be done with excellence and, if possible I will do something extra so, that I may accomplish it well in the sight God and man. If I do this, not only will I know within myself that I did what is right but, the appropriate actions will enable me to feel good about myself. Let us run the race and press forward in order to receive the prize of the mark of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:14)