“I went to Big Box Wholesale Club again yesterday,” Stan began, “and I suffered a major disappointment.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“They were out of those fabulous big apple pies that I love so much,” he responded.
“How could they be out of them?” I replied. “They are so good, I would think they would have plenty to meet the demand.”
“Well,” Stan said, “I asked one of the employees about that. Her response was that one of the suppliers of the apples had a problem. The supply chain broke and they couldn’t deliver apples to Big Box. It’s hard to make apple pies without apples.”
“Big disappointment, indeed,” I replied.
“Not all was lost, however,” Stan said. “I got everything else I needed, plus the Holy Spirit showed me a valuable lesson.”
“About apples and apple pies?” I asked.
“No,” Stan said, “about supplies and about not allowing the Holy Spirit’s supply chain to break down.”
“Holy Spirit’s supply chain? Supply of what?”
“Moral excellence,” Stan replied. “The apostle Peter wrote that to me in the beginning of his second letter.”
Continuing, he said, “Peter specifically wrote that, in my faith, I am to supply moral excellence. And to me that means that I have to rely on the Holy Spirit. I can’t supply it on my own.”
“No,” he added, “the Holy Spirit, with emphasis on ‘Holy’, is the source of all I need in order to have moral excellence. I am to allow Him to supply it, and I am to keep the supply chain open at all times by getting my own self-efforts out of the way and allow Him to do what He is in me to do.”
Concluding, Stan said, “While the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not include apples, it does include everything else I need. As well, His supply is unlimited. Why would I be so foolish as to not rely on that supply chain?”
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Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, . . . 2 Peter 1:5.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you supply everything I need. Everything in the sense of being allowed to spend eternity with you when it is time, as well as all I need on this side of eternity while you keep me here. Thank you for the provision of the Holy Spirit who is that source. I confess that too often I fail to seek His supply of all I need to be and to do what you intend. Please forgive my foolishness in allowing the Holy Spirit’s supply to go unused while I choose to not seek His provision. And please, Father, help me to follow your lead in seeking, claiming, receiving, and embracing every aspect of the Holy Spirit’s supply of all I need to pursue moral excellence. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Think on this: If moral excellence is the goal, what does it look like? Is it attainable on our own? What gets in the way? How do we remove those things that are in the way?
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Comments, questions, suggestions, and the like can be addressed to The Storyteller at: waiting4thetrain@gmail.com.
Waiting for the Train 
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A command found in scripture: “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” Lev. 19:2 NET
“for it is written, “ You shall be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1: 16 NET
God the Father & Jesus, The Son are often talked about within Christian circles, but the Holy Spirit is less often discussed and taught. To me, to be holy because God is holy I must embrace and understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit, have relationship with Him and allow His operation in my life in order to fully abide by God’s command in Leviticus & 1 Peter. I must surrender to the will and works of God the Father, Jesus, The Son, and the Holy Spirit in my life as a Christian. As I grow in my understanding, I’m recognizing how they each are separate, yet One. No way could I live a sincere, authentic Christian life without the power of the Holy Spirit and yielding to Him operating in my life!
Thanks Stan for this reminder!
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