The Sparkle of the Soul

Coral Ridge Ministries

The Sparkle of the Soul

Psalm 51:12

November 17, 2023

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous spirit.”
— Psalm 51:12

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to maintain eye contact with someone, especially someone you don’t know? Perhaps we find this so difficult because it feels so intimate. Some have said that the eye is the window of the soul, so perhaps when someone gazes into our eyes, we feel vulnerable, as if that person can see all our deepest secrets. And perhaps that’s why, when we fall into sin, we can’t maintain eye contact with others, fearing they can see the sin in our eyes. Sin clouds our souls, and we lose our inner sparkle.

Now consider King David when he had been derelict in his duty. He had failed to go with his army into battle. In his idleness, he walked atop his palace and happened across Bathsheba as she was bathing. Enticed by her beauty, he lured her to the palace and committed adultery with her. In an attempt to cover his sin, he compounded it by having her husband murdered. David had now committed two grievous sins for which the Old Testament provided no forgiveness. The king was crushed by his sinfulness. For one year, all of the joy went out of him. All of the light left him. All of the sparkle disappeared from his soul and his eyes. The sweet singer of Israel sang nothing but doleful laments. He felt as though the very bones of his body were crushed under the weight of his guilt.

No doubt about it, David was great in his sinning. But he was also great in his repenting, and for that reason Scripture calls him “a man after God’s own heart.” When God convicted David of his transgressions, David said, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” David wouldn’t let sinfulness keep him away from his Lord any longer.

Are you a great repenter? Do you truly sorrow for your sins and turn from them as David did? I encourage you to confess and repent of anything that comes between you and God so that He may restore the sparkle to your soul and grant you the joy of your salvation.

QUOTE:
“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
— Hymn

Grieving the Holy Spirit

November 30, 2023

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” — Ephesians 4:30 Did you know that the Holy Spirit is a person? The Bible makes it very clear that the Holy Spirit is not just a force, like electricity. Rather, He is a person who knows, loves, speaks, leads, guides, intercedes, teaches, cries, testifies, and approves or disapproves of what we do. And when we love a person very much, we don’t want to do anything that will make him or her sad. In the same way, we need to know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit, just as we can grieve any other person whom we care about. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. When God calls us as Christians, He sends the Spirit to live inside us. This indwelling is called “being sealed” by the Holy Spirit. (John 6:27 tells us that Christ was also sealed by the Holy Spirit: “God the Father has set His seal on Him.”) Being sealed by the Holy Spirit brings us many blessings. It indicates that God has accepted us and that we’re precious in His sight. It testifies to a finished transaction: Jesus has paid for all our sins. It verifies our security: God has sealed our sins in a bag and buried them in the depths of the sea. It attests to ownership: We are His, and He is ours. It indicates authority: Anyone who tries to break the seal will incur God’s wrath. It verifies that we have a personal destiny: Heaven will be our home—the Holy Spirit has sealed us for the day of redemption. Because the Spirit lives in us and loves us so much, how we live becomes much more than whether we obey certain laws. We must act in ways so as not to grieve Him. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not listen to His voice or seek His guidance, or when, having heard His guidance, we choose to disobey. Do you listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance? Do you willingly follow His directions? Or have you done something that would grieve Him? The Holy Spirit wants to guide you, to show you the way you should live your life. And He’ll forgive you when you confess going down your own sinful path. Ask Him to show you how you can live to please Him and bring Him joy, not grief, through your life. QUOTE: “A Christian is a person who is led by the Spirit of God.”

How I Know There Is a God

November 29, 2023

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” — Psalm 14:1 Do you get into conversations with people who don’t believe in God? If so, then you’ve probably encountered one or two people who give no credence to your own personal experience or to the truth of Scripture. These people want hard and fast proof that God exists. Such proof does exist. Let me give you a few bits of information I use when people want proof of God’s existence. First of all, I ask these people to consider the universe. (This is called the cosmological argument. Cosmology means “the study of the universe.”) I point out that the universe is the biggest thing there is, and it had to come from somewhere (every effect has a cause). The universe could not have created itself, because according to the First Law of Thermodynamics, you cannot create nothing out of nothing. Therefore, Someone eternal must have created it. And those are the Bible’s first words: “In the beginning God.” The second proof is the presence of life itself. Life could not have come from non-life, nor could it have happened by chance. It also had to be created. Who else could have created it but God, who is life? The third proof comes from examining the intricate design of the universe. (This is called the teleological argument. “Teleo” means “end” or “design.”) Because the universe is so intricately designed, Someone all-knowing must have designed it. The fourth proof is God’s loving care. If the earth orbited ten percent closer to the sun, we would burn up. If it orbited ten percent farther away, we would freeze and die. Instead, the earth orbits around the sun at just the right distance to sustain life. The fifth proof is the soul’s transformation. This happens so mysteriously that no one can explain it. We know only that Someone changed Paul from a killer of Christians into the world’s greatest missionary, and this Someone has changed our hearts as well. God is the One who touches people’s lives and brings them into fellowship with Him. But He can use you to accomplish that purpose. So as you speak with those who challenge God’s existence, ask Him to show you when to present any or all of the information I’ve shared with you. And pray that God will ultimately reveal Himself to them. QUOTE: “The beauty, order, and harmony of the universe is an expression of the will of God; the structure of the universe is the work of a great intelligence.” — Aristotle

The Value of a Negative Example

November 28, 2023

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” — 1 Corinthians 10:11 Out in his yard, a minister was building a trellis to support a vine that he was going to plant. As he worked, the minister noticed a young boy, about twelve years old, standing nearby watching him. The minister nodded at the young lad as he continued to work, thinking the boy would go away. After a while, however, he noticed that the boy still stood there. Finally, the minister asked the lad, “Getting a lesson in horticulture?” “No,” came the response, “I just wanted to hear what a preacher said when he hit his thumb with a hammer.” Do you realize that non-believers often study your life, watching to see if your actions and reactions corroborate what you profess? They not only watch preachers; they watch all Christians. Some of them watch hopefully, wanting confirmation of the life-changing potential of Christianity. Others watch hatefully, looking for an opportunity to blaspheme God. In either case, the world is watching. While we all want to serve as good examples, as humans we can’t help failing. Yet, as humbling as it is for us, God can still use our mistakes as opportunities to show His greatness. Note the candor of Scripture concerning the sins of those who professed faith in the living God. Even the greatest saints have their portraits drawn with all warts present. Consider Abraham and his lie about his wife. Or Moses and his anger and disobedience to God. Remember David’s adultery and his attempt to cover it up with murder. As we turn to the New Testament, let’s not forget the cowardly denials of Peter or the failure of Mark, who turned tail and ran during his first missionary trip. Yet despite their failures, God used these people to accomplish mighty things. The next time you make a mistake, especially if you know someone has observed it, ask God to forgive you and to use you despite your sinfulness. And today pray that God will enable you to be a good example for the cause of Jesus Christ. QUOTE: “You may be the only Bible that some people ever read.” — Anonymous