Does the notion of a mankind bound existentially to an endless cycle of “inhaling and exhaling” not strike you as a peculiar thing, as being simply odd? And if so, have you ever wondered if there was then, in fact, not “a higher reason” than what meets the eye for why God, in His infinite wisdom, created a mankind who, for the perpetuity of time, has an existence punctuated by being entirely dependent on an indefinite ”closed loop pneumatic” of needing to first inhale, and then exhale, as a continuous “cycle of life”? On the mere face of it, is this not strangely peculiar?

     And yet, does God Himself not refer to us as “a peculiar people”? “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, A PECULIAR PEOPLE; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light“? (1 Peter 2:9). For when it comes to breathing, even though it is said that some things are “as effortless as breathing”, is it not peculiar that we should labour in this way? Indefinitely? Without ever ceasing? And if we did cease, we too should cease? And more to the point, that our continued existence should be completely dependent on it? What great wisdom would inspire God to create man in such a way, and to also make it a completely vital dependency for living? Doesn’t this strike you initially as somehow odd?

     On the face of it, absolutely. But when we are brought to the revelation that the blueprint for man is that the design of man has been made to pattern the workings and operation of the pattern of “the living Word”, not only do we begin to see the higher purpose, but we also begin to understand — at the very minimum — the immense privilege of being a human being, and even more so, of being a child and son of God who, in our very own nature, reflects exactly who our Father is (Hebrews 1:3), and thereby proves our paternal lineage, but also begin to grasp why God would refer to man as “His masterpiece.” (Ephesians 2:10).

     For is the pattern of the living Word not that we need to first “breathe in” the Spirit of life and love (through “salvation” - which is to inhale or RECEIVE life) and then we are to “pour out” that Spirit of life and love in loving our neighbour as ourselves, which is as God loves us (John 13:34) (through “discipleship” - which is to exhale or RELEASE life). Which is to live and walk with Jesus as both Saviour and LORD. Which, in those who HEAR the “Spirit” of the Word (inhale), is when by being DOERS also (exhale), the Word becomes “life”? For did Jesus not say, “The words that I speak are “Spirit”, and they are “life””? Which is when, just as Jesus became a man so that the Word may be made flesh, the Spirit of the Word becomes flesh (life) in each and every one of us. Which is when man lives and walks as he has been designed to —which is as a pattern of the living Word.

     For when it comes to that “closed loop pneumatic”, where the term “pneumatic” relates to air, breath or wind, is the Holy Spirit not referred to as “Pneuma” in the Greek? For is the power of all life not in the Holy Spirit? (Romans 8:11). For the Holy Spirit is not only the very breath of all life, but the Holy Spirit is the wind that no one knows where it “comes from” or where “it goes” (John 3:8). Which tells us that not only should “it come” (be received - inhaled), it needs “to go” (be released - exhaled).

     Which is the reason why God designed man in such a way that he has to CONTINUOUSLY breathe in and breathe out. So that when man asks the Spirit why, since the Holy Spirit will “teach us all things” (John 14:26), from the answer, man can learn that just like we cannot live by only breathing once, in the kingdom of seedtime and harvest, we are to not breathe the power of the Spirit in once only either. We are to CONTINUOUSLY “breathe in” the Spirit, and then “release” the life of the Spirit through loving our neighbours as ourselves as a continuous closed loop cycle of life. Which is also why when we are not breathing in or breathing out the Spirit anymore, the loop is not only broken, but effectively, we are dead, for we are no longer releasing life.

     Ephesians 5:18 validates this when it says we are to "...be (being continuously) filled with the Spirit"; in other words, it's an ongoing process. In other words, as a pattern of the living Word, we are to continuously drink from the wellspring of all life and love, and in order that life and love may have its way, we are to then pour out that life in loving our neighbours in the pattern and likeness of the way that God loves us. So that the cycle of life is not only a continuous one, where fruit is produced “all year long” or continuously, being the pattern of the Tree of Life in Revelation 22:2, “producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit according to each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”, but that the cycle of love and life that “heals all nations” operates in a perfect closed-loop pneumatic by being permanently refreshed and reconstituted and re-powered by the indwelling Pneuma.

     Which raises an interesting point. It’s interesting that “pneumonia” is shortness of breath. There can also be a kind of “spiritual pneumonia”. The antidote for spiritual pneumonia can be found in Luke 11:13: “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” And the tender that provides the currency for its acquisition is a heart genuinely sold out to and full of love, a love not only for the Father (Matthew 22:37), but a love also for our neighbour (Matthew 22:39). For on these two pneumatic operations that make up the complete model of love (one of inhaling and the other of exhaling), hang ALL the law and prophets (Matthew 22:40).

     Which is why in the great wisdom of David, the very apple of our Father’s eye, David’s heartfelt petition earnestly was, “Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).