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The Breath Of God Take a deep breath!……..Did you ever stop to consider the necessity of each breath that you take? Many today take for granted the inhale and exhale procedure that happens several times in each minute of their life. We need to appreciate the life in each breath that God allows us to have. In the beginning God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life (Gen 2:7). Without this life giving breath from God man would never have existed. Some with breathing problems, such as asthma, can truly comprehend the joy of taking a full breath of air. When we are struggling for a breath, we are certainly in need. The Bible records of a woman whose son had become sick, “his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him” (I Kings 17:17). This is why the scriptures speak of individuals who breathe their last, signifying death (Gen. 25:8, 17). Even Jesus our Lord had to breathe His last on the cross for our sins (Mark 15:37). As we comprehend the fullness of God’s blessings in life may we devote our lives to a loving Father who gives us the breath of life. THE BREATH OF GOD HELPS ME TO UNDERSTAND: LIFE IS IN HIS CONTROL As we have noted earlier, breath is a great part of what sustains life. Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4). Looking back to creation the psalmist resounded the words, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth (Psalm 33:6). Again a psalmist looking at God’s view of man said, “For He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again” (Psalm 78:38-39). The Bible prepares us for a day that every human will die a physical death (Hebrews 9:27). This truth enables us to see our physical future, but leaves us wondering about the spiritual. It is even mentioned from times of old, “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?” (Eccl. 3:19-22) While it is true that breath is in all living creatures, and someday it will be taken away, we understand that man has been blessed with an eternal soul that can be returned to the Maker. Let your life be in His control! EACH BREATH SHOULD BE USED TO HIS GLORY Part of the blessing of having breath is that it enables us to use other abilities that God has given us. We have the abilities to move, interact, talk etc. These blessings can be used properly or improperly. While we certainly should use these abilities to glorify God since He is the giver of all good things, the world in which we live abuses their abilities in foul speech, negative actions etc. which result in sin. May we all be able to echo the words of Job in saying, “As long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God in my nostrils, My lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. Far be it from me that I should say you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. May my enemy be like the wicked, and he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he may gain much, if God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God? I will teach you about the hand of God; what is with the Almighty I will not conceal. Surely all of you have seen it; why then do you behave with complete nonsense?” (Job. 27:3-12). Good question! May Each Breath Be Used To Glorify God We need to make sure that with our speech, for example, that we say those things that will be edifying to the hearers (Eph. 4:29). In deed, may we seek to rise above mediocre service to be like the Son of God in humble service (Phil. 2:5-11). In thought may we only let our minds be filled with good spiritual material that our lives would function according to God’s will (Prov. 23:7). “GOD BREATHED” HIS WORDS FOR MY BENEFIT Not only was man breathed into existence, but so was His powerful word. The Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Tim 3:16-17) The very word “inspiration”, is theopneustos in the Greek, and is a combination of two words. Theos which is God, and pneuma which is breath, wind or spirit. Literally then, the meaning of II Tim. 3:16-17, is that all scripture is given by God’s breath. We need to be willing to hear the breath of God as we study His word, or hear it proclaimed. Jesus has said in John 12:48-50, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him-- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” We need to realize that God’s word is our standard for living while we breath on this earth, and it will also be the standard for our judgment in living through eternity. God speaks to us by His Son in words of truth and hope (Hebrews 1:1). We need to be sure to live and breath the word of God in our own lives that we might be saved. Just as Israel received life from God through hearing His word (Ezekiel 37:5-12), we can have a new life in Christ through hearing the gospel, believing its message concerning Jesus, repenting of our sins, confessing our faith in Christ, and being baptized to wash away our sins. |
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