Do not quench the Spirit.

Today's reading: I Thessalonians 4-5

Do not quench the Spirit. I Thessalonians 5:19 NRSV

Recently I was reading a book on giving and stewardship. One of the words of advice that it gave was to never hinder a child or young person from giving to others in any shape or form. That would be quenching their giving impulse, sending them the message that it is wrong to give and/or to share. Although I have tried not to stop my own child when he wants to give, it sure is hard to prevent myself from saying, "No!"

I believe it is the same with the Spirit. As adults, many of us were taught what is wrong or right to do, especially in church. Now if you are part of a Pentecostal worshipping congregation, this may not be the same for you. But I would imagine that, while okay to follow the Spirit in worship, it is not always okay to follow the Spirit in general society. People might think we are crazy. I am sure much of this kind of conditioning came from our upbringing. We were instructed in what was the polite or correct type of behavior. Perhaps it was never taught but others showed us how to behave.

But there is an aspect of the Holy Spirit that is not all about losing control of our behavior. The aspect I am speaking of is simply following the Spirit's promptings. We are taught in this day and age to follow logic rather than intuition. We are conditioned to listen to other people and what is on the web rather than what is in our hearts. We have easily learned how to quench the Spirit.

Lord, help us all to open up to your Holy Spirit in all aspects of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims