February 29: Walk in the Spirit
♫ Music:
Day 16 - Thursday, February 29
Title: WALK IN THE SPIRIT
Scripture #1: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Scripture #2: Galatians 5:16-26 (NKJV)
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Poetry & Poet:
“Making Peace”
by Denise Levertov
A voice from the dark called out,
‘The poets must give us
Imagination of peace, to oust the intense, familiar
Imagination of disaster. Peace, not only
the absence of war.’
But peace, like a poem,
is not there ahead of itself,
can’t be imagined before it is made,
can’t be known except
in the words of its making,
grammar of justice,
syntax of mutual aid.
A feeling towards it,
Dimly sensing a rhythm, is all we have
until we begin to utter its metaphors,
Learning them as we speak.
A line of peace might appear
if we restructured the sentence our lives are making,
revoked its reaffirmation of profit and power,
questioned our needs, allowed
long pauses
. . .
A cadence of peace might balance its weight
on that different fulcrum; peace, a presence,
an energy field more intense than war,
might pulse then,
stanza by stanza into the world,
each act of living
one of its words, each word
a vibration of light—facets
of the forming crystal.
WALK IN THE SPIRIT
In the vast hallway of life where transitions abound and pathways intertwine, there lies a profound truth––every step we take, every twist and turn, presents us with invaluable lessons. Just as travelers journey through this corridor of existence, so too do we navigate the ebb and flow of experiences. Some tread cautiously, learning through the stumbling blocks and trials they encounter along the way. These are the ones who grasp wisdom through the school of hard knocks, each misstep a teacher guiding them forward. Still, the goodness of the Holy Spirit is mysteriously present for “I Am Not My Own”–– I belong to Christ, as the Modern Choral Anthems elucidates in this beautiful composition. Yet, there are others who choose to heed the guidance of those who have gone before, drawing upon their insights and experiences to illuminate their path. Those are the ones that have learned to walk in the Spirit.
To walk in the Spirit is such a complex declaration, yet a simple instruction to follow as Scriptures declare––Galatians 5:16-26 “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh…” The invitation of Paul is to put to death our flesh and have a high ethics of community standards that puts others first as we do life together. And by the fruits of Spirit manifested in our life’s walk: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…and those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. To walk in the Spirit is to follow the comforting and correcting nature of Scripture. We are invited to walk in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit amidst the flux and uncertainty, for it’s easy to lose sight of the journey’s purpose. But fear not, for in the midst of transition and uncertainty, there exists a comforting assurance: through the highs and lows, the Holy Spirit is a guiding presence, ever present to navigate the complexities of life’s hallway.
As we traverse this hallway of transition, uncertainty may cast shadows upon our path, but faith in the Spirit whispers that at the journey’s end, life will be okay. And in the midst of the twists and turns, know this, the Holy Spirit holds us steady. Guiding us with divine wisdom and assurance for at the end a beautiful tapestry will be made from your life’s journey. The result of life's journey is reflected in the beautiful artwork entitled Fruit of the Spirit by A. Hilman. In this masterpiece, strokes of pain and suffering intertwine with delicate hues, creating a breathtaking pastel portrayal of resilience and beauty emerging from adversity. Just as each stroke contributes to the beauty of the artwork, so too do life’s struggles enrich the tapestry of our existence, transforming hardships into moments with profound beauty and growth.
For many of us 2024 began with disappointing news. You may find yourself unemployed, maybe you got a medical report that stopped you in your tracks, your kids may be out of control, or life and change is happening all around you. You also feel change is happening inside of you. You are in transition walking into the next months without knowing where you will end up. Yes, I know the feeling, we are both in transition learning to walk in the Spirit through this journey.
My Prayer for Us:
Sweet Holy Spirit, companion, and friend, don’t let me go. I have no idea where I’m going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. I do not know if I’m following your steps, or you are waiting for me to invite you to guide me. But I believe the desire in my heart to walk with you, does in fact please you. I love you Holy Spirit, help me to walk with you.
Dr. Oscar Merlo
President, AETH
Association for Hispanic Theological Education
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
Fruit of the Spirit
A. Hilman
Acrylic on canvas
48 x 36 x 1.5''
Private Collection
About the Artist:
A. Hilman is an artist living in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up in Seattle, Washington, in a family of creatives, the artist feels blessed to have traveled and lived in the San Juan Islands, California, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Greece, Austria, and Europe. An ardent follower of Christ, the artist paints to express the joy found in knowing Christ.
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sunny-hillman?tab=about
https://sunny-hillman.pixels.com/
About the Music:
“I Am Not My Own” from the album Modern Choral Anthems
Lyrics:
I am not my own.
I am not my own.
Not in body, not in soul,
In life nor even death.
I am not my own.
I am not my own.
I belong unto my faithful,
Savior Jesus Christ.
I am not my own.
I am not my own.
Not in body, not in soul,
In life nor even death.
I am not my own.
I am not my own.
His blood has ransomed me
From evil, set me free.
I am not my own.
I am not my own.
For my salvation
All things work together
In eternal life
He gives me hope.
By the power of His Holy Spirit,
I will live for Him.
I am not my own.
I am not my own.
I belong unto my faithful,
Savior Jesus Christ.
I belong to Him,
I belong to Him.
In life, in death
My only comfort
I belong to Him,
I will live for Him
Forever and ever
Forever and ever
Forever more.
Lyricist:
Susan Bentall Boersma was born and educated in Michigan and began her study of music with her parents, both of whom were performing artists. Her piano/organ/voice studies continued while attending Hope College. She has served as the accompanist for college choirs and touring groups, as well as for various solo artists and community choirs. She has led many workshops on music and worship and has held positions as pianist, choral director, and director of music ministries at churches in Michigan, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Ohio. Boersma is a published lyricist and has collaborated with Craig Courtney, David Lantz III, Mark Hayes, Lloyd Larson, and Joseph Martin on sacred anthems in addition to her work with composer and vocal instructor David Lantz on school and classroom literature.
https://jubilatemusic.com/pages/susan-bentall-boersma
Composer:
Craig Courtney is a composer of sacred music. He received a B.A. and an M.A. in piano performance at the University of Cincinnati. Following a stay in Milan, Italy, where Courtney studied the piano and worked as a vocal coach, he was invited to join the music faculty of the famed Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, as piano teacher and accompanist for the woodwind and brass department. It was while he was serving in the music ministry of the Salzburg International Baptist Church that Mr. Courtney began directing a church choir and composing sacred choral music. In 1985, his compositions came to the attention of John Ness Beck, through the publication of his octavo “Thy Will Be Done,” initiating a close working relationship between the two men which continued until Mr. Beck's death in 1987. In making plans for the ongoing work of Beckenhorst Press, Mr. Beck appointed Courtney to assume his responsibilities as staff composer and editor. At this point in time, Courtney's published works include more than one hundred sixty choral octavos, eight vocal collections, a piano solo collection, and six extended works for choir and orchestra.
https://www.ecspublishing.com/composers/c/craig-courtney.html
About the Performers:
Beckenhorst Singers are a choral group associated with Beckenhorst Press, Inc.
https://beckenhorstpress.com/our-history/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Denise Levertov (1923–1997) was educated entirely at home and claimed to have decided to become a writer at the age of five. When she was twelve, she sent some of her poetry to T. S. Eliot, who responded by encouraging her to continue writing. At age seventeen, she had her first poem published in Poetry Quarterly. Her poems of the 1950s won her widespread recognition and her book With Eyes at the Back of Our Heads (1959) established her as one of the great American poets. Levertov went on to publish more than twenty volumes of poetry and was also the author of four books of prose. Levertov’s conversion to Christianity in 1984 was the impetus for her religious poetry. In 1997, she brought together thirty-eight poems from seven of her earlier volumes in The Stream & the Sapphire, a collection intended, as Levertov explains in the foreword to the collection, to "trace my slow movement from agnosticism to Christian faith, a movement incorporating much doubt and questioning as well as affirmation."
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/denise-levertov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov
About the Devotion Writer:
Dr. Oscar Merlo
President, AETH
Association for Hispanic Theological Education
Dr. Oscar Merlo is passionate about empowering new generations through the Holy Spirit and illuminating the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has served in executive leadership positions for profit and nonprofit multinational organizations. Merlo has traveled extensively to over thirty-five countries in five continents and has experienced how God’s Missio-Dei is at work in diverse places such as Cuba, Tel Aviv, Bissau, Istanbul, Guatemala, local communities in Los Angeles, and other places in the global South. He leads global plans in evangelism and transformation initiatives and has participated in social justice advocacy, the Latin America Free of Corruption Initiative, and has coordinated global leadership training programs. Merlo served as a co-founder of the OMEGA generation project, an initiative to mentor Latin-X millennials in the twenty-first century. He has developed EDEAM (School of Evangelists Alberto Mottesi) academic programs, expanding to 136 international centers throughout Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Oscar is happily married to Lexa and they have two daughters. Currently he is the president of AETH, the Association for Hispanic Theological Education.