Tomorrow, God willing, I will begin another solar revolution. Although my actual birthday is January 12^th, this is a landmark birthday which I hope to celebrate with family and friends later in the spring when the weather is warm and more predictable. Perhaps, because I have attended so many homegoing services lately, birthdays are even more significant to me of late. When I worked as a school principal, I checked the student database every day to see who had a birthday. At lunchtime, I sang “Happy Birthday” to those students. I did the same at staff meetings for staff members.

It was often a sacrifice to get into the dining room and sing to my students. I didn’t always feel like singing, but I gave the students my best and they showed their appreciation to me for doing it with the right spirit.

“Offer sacrifices in the right spirit and trust the LORD” (Psalm 4:5 NLT).

The Right Spirit

I believe everything we do should be done with an attitude that reflects love. The sacrifices we make to God should reflect our love for Him. God respected and appreciated Abel’s sacrificial offering because He presented it in the spirit of love. When we love someone, we give them the best that we have. In writing these weekly focus messages for the past five years, my aim has been to give you my best and to do it in a spirit of love. I am striving more and more to be an instrument of God’s love. As Paul said, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NLT).

I am working on all of that because I want to always have the right spirit. The wrong spirit was kicked out of heaven a long time ago and no one is going to be able to take it back.

Focus Quote: “But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”

 –Luke 9:55 NKJV