For God's Glory
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the
sinful nature." (Galatians 5:16 NIV)
“…. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31b
NIV)
As we surrender to God and His Holy Spirit, to let Him work in us and through
us, the work done becomes who we are. Whatever God has worked in us is real; it
is not a façade. It is His supernatural work which becomes natural overtime; the
fruit of His Spirit.
We constantly send out signals, consciously or unconsciously, positive,
negative, or neutral signals. How we stand, sit or walk, every look, movement of
the head, arms, hands, legs, feet, as well as our words is an expression of our
thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and responses, and conveys some sort of message,
to those around us. Wherever we are, whomever we are with, we are communicating
something.
Is it important?
Well, we can learn to assess how our verbal and non-verbal speech affects
others. We all understand the significance of a smile, a frown, a nod or shake
of the head, but there are more subtle gestures, which we can learn to
skillfully read, and evaluate. We can then better relate and communicate.
We may know that arms folded across the chest makes people appear defensive,
somewhat unreceptive, cold, and tense—tension, which may so easily develop into
hostility and eventual aggression. Hands on hips, clenched fists, and finger
pointing or prolonged, hostile eye contact are just a few signs of mounting
aggression.
For God’s Glory
On the other hand, if we want to inspire confidence, openness, and warmth, we
should make approving, encouraging eye contact easily, keep the body relaxed in
a non-threatening posture, and try not to invade other people’s reserved space.
Just by relaxing in the work and movements of the Holy Spirit, we can dispel
tension, irritation, and agitation.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there
is no law. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit. " (Galatians 5:22-23 and 25. NIV)
Prayer: Thank You Holy Father for Your Word, which always informs us about
positive and negative conduct. And tells us about the fruit and expression of
the Holy Spirit. We are encouraged to walk and live by Your Spirit, Lord. As we
learn to do this, we can use our non-verbal messages, as well as our words, for
Your Glory. In Jesus Loving Name, I praise and thank You. Amen and Amen.
Rosemary Renninson
Westbury, Victoria. Australia.
artrose@dodo.com.au <mailto:artrose@dodo.com.au>