114 GOOD MORNING, HOLY SPIRIT
"Father God, I adore you"; "precious Holy Spirit, I long for
your fellowship." If you neglect communicating just one
day, the next time it's a little harder.
Like a Sharp Knife
What happens to a marriage when one partner ignores
the other? After a short period of time bitterness begins to
enter the heart. Words begin to cut like a sharp knife. Soon
the animosity turns to anger, jealousy, and even worse. For
many it results in separation, divorce, and hatred. But the
rift can so easily be mended. All it takes is a fresh surrender
that comes from your very soul. And a renewing of the vow
to "love, honor, and cherish."
The same thing will happen if you neglect the Lord.
You will develop bitterness and anger. Suddenly you will
be out of fellowship with the Lord. That's what happened to
the children of Israel in the wilderness. They began to
complain, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if
only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD
brought us to this land to fall by the sword?" (Num.
14 :2-3). And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "How long
shall I bear with this evil congregation who murmur against
Me?" (v. 27).
The children of Israel went from saying, "The Lord is
God," to complaining, "Wouldn't it be better to return to
Egypt?" What caused the change? They stopped seeking
Him, and their hearts became hardened. And before they
understood what was happening, they had forsaken Him.
Don't let a day go by without a fresh surrender to the
Lord. Paul wrote, "Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day"
(2 Cor. 4:16). Surrender must be continual, a never-ending
emptying of self to the Lord. And once you make it a habit,
you'll begin to experience God's perfect union, perfect