Grateful for a conversation I had with Rich Johnson earlier today. He spoke of Isaiah 11 where we read about the Spirit of God resting upon Christ… the conversation set me thinking!

In the New Testament we read of the fruit of the Spirit in terms of Christlikeness of character that shows in behaviour: love, joy,  peace etc. You know the list! If you don’t look for it in Galatians Chapter 5.

We also read in the New Testament of the works that are the fruit of the Holy Spirit resting upon Christ, all the different aspects of His ministry. If you are not sure of what Christ’s ministry was about, well again, look for yourselves. Pick a gospel and read it… better still keep reading the gospels on a regular basis…all 4 of them.

The passage in Isaiah takes us into the innerness of Jesus, to the very springs of a human life on which the Spirit of God has come to rest. Isaiah often does that. One of my favourite parts of Scripture are the Servant Songs, Songs about Jesus that were written about Him centuries before  the Incarnation of the Son of God. They take us into the innerness of Jesus. They are quite fascinating. I might write upon them in a blog sometime soon. You can find them in Chapters 40, 42, 50 and the most well known to Christians, 52-53.

Well here are the words from Isaiah 11, some more words on what we might call the inner gifts of the Spirit to a  human life on which He is truly resting. I will just leave you to read and to think of Christ in you, for remember, if we are believers, we are in Christ, He is in us, and we are to abide in Him! The Holy Spirit makes that possible!

11 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
² And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Amazing words follow that describe the outworking of these verses in the public ministry of Jesus, a ministry that He calls s to share, but it is these early verses I leave with you for tonight. In Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord gave rise to wisdom, understanding, counsel and might, knowledge of the Lord, fear of the Lord… depths here that I am not sure I have ever thought through fully. So thank you Rich Johnson, for the rich vein of thought I know you have opened up for me as you do for many through your web site and writings on  “Christian Mindfulness.”

God bless

Kenny