Friday, February 11, 2011

Spiritual Transceivers

Spiritual Transceivers

A transceiver is a device that has both a transmitter and receivers which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing.  If no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver.   For years the majority of our electronic devices were either receivers or transmitters.  Radio and TV, the most used devices were receivers.  The signals they received were sent by transmitters. Maybe the only device that was close to a transceiver was the phone.  Both persons could talk at the same time and still hear each other.  CBs and "walkie talkies" are transceivers. 

GPS are transceivers.  The GPS transmits its location to the satellite.  The satellite in turn transmits the location information to the GPS.  We connect to the internet with transceivers.  We receive information from the internet.  That is how the internet knows what to transmit.  However, cable TV and satellite TV and radio are not transceivers.  Smart phones are transceivers.  In fact they have multiple transceivers: the phone, the internet, and the GPS all require transceivers.  (Bluetooth headsets are transceivers). Funny thing is that just because one of those transceivers is working does not guarantee the others are. 

I have wondered why sometimes I cannot get on the internet with my smart phone while I am speaking.  I say to myself, "I have a signal."  Well the cell phone part of it has a signal for phone calls, but not for the internet.   The internet has a different signal; very likely also a different chip.  So, I discovered there different requirements for these devices to work properly.

1.      1. They must be powered on
2.      2. They must be functional.
3.3   3.Must be tuned to the frequency/wavelength of the signal. 
4.      4. The settings of the device must be correct.
5.      5. They must be placed in a place where they can send and receive a signal to the signal tower or satellite.  

The same requirements would apply to the satellite and tower signal.  Years ago one of satellite of the cell phone providers malfunctioned.  This meant that although the phones were powered up, functional, and all else was in place, they could not receive anything because nothing was being transmitted.  If you work in a basement you are likely to not have a very weak signal or none.  In this case the satellite and the phone are both powered up and functional but the signal is being blocked. 

This has spiritual implications.  God's brain and ours works as transceivers.  God transmits to us and receives from us.  We receive from Him and transmit to Him.  Now, is there always a good connection, if at all?  No.  But, it is not because of God being powered off or any of the other conditions is not being met in Him.  Sometimes, it is because we place ourselves in a place where God's signal does not reach us.  Sometimes it is because our brain is malfunctioning or not powered up.  Sometimes is because the brain is no longer tuned up to receive and transmit to and from God. 

It is through prayer that we come in tune and paired with God.  Ellen White said of prayer in the book "Steps to Christ,"

Unceasing PRAYER is the unbroken union of the soul with God, so that life from God flows into our life; and from our life, purity and holiness flow back to God (Steps to Christ, p. 98).

No wonder Paul counseled to "Pray without ceasing" (1Thesalonians 5:17); which really means to incessantly pray or do not pause from praying.   We have an example in Jesus, sometimes He prayed all night long (Luke 6:12).   In prayer we open our heart to God and God opens His heart to us.  In Celebration of Discipline, author Richard Foster writes, "In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God's thoughts after him: to desire the things he desires, to love the things he loves, to will the things he wills. Progressively, we are taught to see things from his point of view."— (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998, pp. 33, 34).  Prayer is the most intimate means by which God shares Himself with humanity.  Through continual prayer we stay connected to God and God to us.  This is the gist of what Ellen White says in the following quote,

The summing up of the benefit of PRAYER is that devotion that leads to faith in God's promises. This faith is the key that opens the divine treasury, is the hand by which we appropriate to our use the richest gifts of God. The PRAYER of the contrite heart unlocks the treasure house of supplies, and lays hold of omnipotent power. This kind of PRAYER enables the suppliant to understand what it means to lay hold of the strength of God, and to make peace with him. This kind of PRAYER causes us to have an influence over those with whom we associate. The PRAYER of faith is not listless, dry, and uninteresting. It wells up from perfect trust and assurance, and by its fervor makes manifest to the world, to angels, and to men, that you do believe in God, and have made Christ your personal Saviour (The Signs of the Times, June 18, 1896).

Let us then keep our hearts open to God.  Let us pray without ceasing. 

For an audio review of the lesson click on the following link:


--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com