In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul talks about the fruits of the Spirit. These are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. So when we are under the influence of the Spirit, these attributed are more easily fostered and recognized. In my home, this kind of Spirit prevails almost without exception. It makes my home really feel like a place that I want to be, where children and parents love and respect each other, and where learning and growth can take place. It is sublime. I love to be there.
Jeremiah also talks about the fire in his bones that was the word of God. This is more of how the Spirit works in my personal life. It is hard to describe, like the taste of salt. Salt is, well, salty. But there is no mistaking it when you taste it. One would never mistake salty sea water for honey, for example.
But what's the point? Other than feeling good or agitated or whatever, what's the point of feeling the Spirit?
For me, the real point of feeling the Spirit is the recognition of truth. There are a lot of divergent opinions in the world. People think that they know everything and can't wait to convince others of the truth of their view. Everything from the big bang theory to quantum physics can be shown to be true. But whether it actually is or not, whether something has the ultimate seal of approval, is something that can be debated ad nauseum.
What most people in the world fail to comprehend is that there is more to the senses than just the five (taste, touch, sight, smell, sound). There are other senses that can and do mean as much to people as what they see. Why do you love your children? I am not just talking about the normal "parenting" impulse we are programmed with biologically. I am referring to the love we feel for our children, which we cannot define or comprehend, but which nevertheless is infinitely real. Or the awe and humility we feel when viewing a landscape, work of art, or listen to a particular song. Why do certain things resonate with us spiritually? It is because there is more than the five senses. And if there are more than the five senses, than some things can be known in other ways than empirically. Actually, that word is misused. It implies knowing from experience. Just because you can't quantify or even verbalize an experience, does that make it less real?
Jeremiah also talks about the fire in his bones that was the word of God. This is more of how the Spirit works in my personal life. It is hard to describe, like the taste of salt. Salt is, well, salty. But there is no mistaking it when you taste it. One would never mistake salty sea water for honey, for example.
But what's the point? Other than feeling good or agitated or whatever, what's the point of feeling the Spirit?
For me, the real point of feeling the Spirit is the recognition of truth. There are a lot of divergent opinions in the world. People think that they know everything and can't wait to convince others of the truth of their view. Everything from the big bang theory to quantum physics can be shown to be true. But whether it actually is or not, whether something has the ultimate seal of approval, is something that can be debated ad nauseum.
What most people in the world fail to comprehend is that there is more to the senses than just the five (taste, touch, sight, smell, sound). There are other senses that can and do mean as much to people as what they see. Why do you love your children? I am not just talking about the normal "parenting" impulse we are programmed with biologically. I am referring to the love we feel for our children, which we cannot define or comprehend, but which nevertheless is infinitely real. Or the awe and humility we feel when viewing a landscape, work of art, or listen to a particular song. Why do certain things resonate with us spiritually? It is because there is more than the five senses. And if there are more than the five senses, than some things can be known in other ways than empirically. Actually, that word is misused. It implies knowing from experience. Just because you can't quantify or even verbalize an experience, does that make it less real?
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