I listened to a congressmen discussing how his their faith affected his elected position. He said that if someone claims to be a Christian, but only practices his Christianity for an hour or two on Sunday mornings, it is like having Christianity as a hobby. But for him Christianity was a lifestyle, something that affected everything he did, his relationships, and the choices he makes throughout the day. My thoughts then went to an old hymn from 1900, titled Channels Only. The hymn is really a prayer asking God to use us and indicating how this is possible “every day and every hour”. It is not through a determining effort on our part. but through his power, through the Holy Spirit that He has promised to give us.
The chorus of the hymn goes:
Channels only, precious Master, but with all Thy wondrous pow’r,
Flowing through us, you can use us, ev’ry day and ev’ry hour.
Here are all the verses, as sung on youtube.
The following verses assure us of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit and the benefits of His present.
In John 14:16-17, Jesus said: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth … you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.
John 7:37-39. Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.
1 Corinthians 3:16. Do you not know that you are a [f]temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Romans 5:5. The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Eph 5:18b-21. be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord,
always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father; and subject yourselves to one another in the name of Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23. the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
But what if we are going through a dry period, not feeling or seeing that Living Water flowing through us – that love, joy, peace, purpose, etc. that the Spirit provides. Could it be that our channel is somehow blocked. Think of some channels that we depend on every day — the channels in our household plumbing and the channels in our physical bodies. They can get clogged, resulting in very distressing circumstances. When we’re feeling down, not up to par, lacking the fruit of God’s Spirit flowing out from us, let’s consider the importance of dealing with a clogged channel.
There are several ways that we react to a clog:
We could simply try to ignore it hoping it would go away by itself.
We could decide that we just have to grin and bear it and live under the circumstances.
We could try to figure out how to fix it ourselves – (there must be a solution on the inter- net).
We could get in touch with an expert who knows all about clogs, not the kind plumbers and doctors treat, but spiritual clogs, otherwise known as sin. God is eager to help identify any problem clogs (such as fear, anger, self-centeredness, ungratefulness – to name a few), and to clear the channels – not through chemicals or surgery, but though confession and repentance, and through trusting in God’s promises.
The Bible, God’s Word, is the best maintenance manual to consult daily to keep our channels clear. It is “useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Timothy 3:16 NLB)
PRAYER: Psalm 19:12-14
Lord, help me to discern the waywardness of my heart. Cleanse me from unconscious faults and keep me from deliberate sins. Let them not control me. Then I shall be held guiltless and I shall be cleansed of, declared innocent and set free from great transgression.Let the words of my mouth and the meditation, (thoughts) of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord. my rock and my redeemer.
by Sue Found, January 2025