Spring has quickly come upon us. (Well at least where I live.) As I was putting away my winter items I noticed the pair of white cozy gloves with silver fringe that my daughter had gotten me for Christmas. She had put a lot of thought into the present because she knows how cold I can get. But I was wondering how often I would actually be able to use the gloves, as we live in a warm desert and the winters are not harsh. Crazy enough this winter was a bit cooler and those gloves actually came in handy.

But as pretty and cozy as they were, they would have been of no use if I never put my hands into them. I could have just placed them in my drawer and every time I opened the drawer, I could have said, “Wow, what pretty gloves!” I could have filled them with anything from cotton to jellybeans to make them appear full. But only by putting my hands into them did they come alive. Suddenly my hands were like the white knitted material itself. When I moved my hands and fingers  the gloves moved.

It made me think about the Spirit of God. We are the gloves. God made us and fashioned each of us a different color, with different designs, and for different purposes. Some are made of wool, and others are waterproof. Some are leather for driving while others are perfect for dress-up or skiing or working or boxing or even texting.

God through his love and creativity made us.”You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother.” Ps 139:13 (GWT)

What are we putting into our gloves?  It is the hands that bring life to the colors, the designs and the purpose.  When the Spirit of God fills us, he does it completely. Yes, we still need to grow in many areas, yet he consumes our entire being and never leaves. Instead we take him wherever we go, whether it’s to school, the store, the bank, or the parks….wherever our feet tread.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

How CAN he leave us when he is IN us wherever we choose to go ?

Remember when Jesus made the statement, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he LIVES with you and IN you.” John 14:16-17.

He is living inside of me.”.. for in him we live, and move, and have our being..” Act 17:28a (ASV)

I believe since he is actually living in us we hear his voice in our inner being or our hearts. His words that he speaks vibrate into our souls. We have become so one with him that it is as if we can hear his thoughts echoing in our minds and our hearts. It is like hearing our conscience but as we practice listening we realize it is more than a conscience but a wiser “just knowing” voice.  In 2 Corinthians it mentions that we have the mind of Christ. How is that possible except that he lives in us?

As we grow in him we begin to think like he would think. Sometimes we cannot understand his reasoning. That is why he says to not lean into our own understanding, our physical reasoning. There are days that he calls us to pray for someone, speak to someone or encourage someone and we simply heed that lead. Like Jesus, who said I only do what I hear my Father saying, we begin to do and live and make choices by hearing his voice.

It is a powerful thing to have the Spirit of God dwelling and living in us. Think of this. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead actually dwells and lives inside of you!

When we get to the other side I want to know that I allowed the Spirit of God that lives in me to complete the purpose I was designed to fill. I want to know I lived brilliantly in the gloves (or body) that he created for me. I want to lend a hand, to pray, or excel at my talents — just doing what I was intended to do.

Romans 12:6-10 states it well “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (NLT)

So I  ask, what kind of gloves were you created to be?  Let’s even go a step more. Can you dance? Dance to the fullest. Can you draw? Draw to your potential. Are you an entrepreneur? Excel for his glory. As you let the Spirit of God move IN you, you can become the individual you were designed to be and do it to the fullest!