John
14:21-26
Jesus said to his disciples [and to us], Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Food for the thought!
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you!
As he begins to end his ministry, Jesus begins to introduce the Holy Spirit; Jesus' end on earth is the beginning of the Holy Spirit's presence on earth. «All this I have spoken WHILE STILL WITH YOU», he says, «BUT THE ADVOCATE, THE HOLY SPIRIT, whom the Father WILL SEND in my name, will teach AND remind you all things.» Jesus tells us that the task of the Holy Spirit is to teach us, to instruct us in the things of God. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches about the Bible. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the deep things of God unto us. It is He the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to reach our fullest potential for the glory of God. He is a divine Instructor!
The Holy Spirit reminds us also of all the things Jesus said. That is why we don't forget. When we become discouraged, the Holy Spirit in our soul rises up and wraps the comforting arms of Heavenly love and protection around us and reminds that we belong to Him. He encourages us to keep on running, to keep on going, to keep on living for Jesus. He inspires us to press forward for the glory of the Lord. Indeed, we are neither alone nor lonely because the Holy Spirit is busy within us!
To the end of the day the Christian must be a learner, for to the end of the day the Holy Spirit will be leading him deeper and deeper into the truth of God. The Christian who feels that he has nothing more to learn is the Christian who has not even begun to understand what the doctrine of the Holy Spirit means. The Christian with a shut mind is a contradiction. This is why, before you read the Bible, before you listen to a sermon, you do well to pray for the Holy Spirit for yourself.
When we listen to or read a sermon, we all hear equally the single voice of the person speaking to us and yet we each have a different perception of the meaning; we understand different things according to what the Holy Spirit wants each one of us to know. In other words, as we listen to the outside voice or as we read, we do listen as well to the inside voice in us of the Holy Spirit. A preacher or teacher's utterance is powerless if it is not accompanied by the workings of the Holy Spirit in the hearer. This is why those two disciples who were going to Emmaus said, «Were not our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us» (Lk 24,32). These disciples heard the voice of Jesus, but inside them the Holy Spirit was busy working in their hearts.
Nearly all of us have this sort of experience in life. We are tempted to do something wrong and are on the very brink of doing it, when all of a sudden back into our mind comes a saying of Jesus, the verse of a psalm, the picture of Jesus, words of someone we love and admire, like our mother, a teaching we received when very young, etc. All of these sayings that flash unbidden into our minds are the work of the Holy Spirit struggling to stop us sin.
Jesus said to his disciples [and to us], Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Food for the thought!
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you!
As he begins to end his ministry, Jesus begins to introduce the Holy Spirit; Jesus' end on earth is the beginning of the Holy Spirit's presence on earth. «All this I have spoken WHILE STILL WITH YOU», he says, «BUT THE ADVOCATE, THE HOLY SPIRIT, whom the Father WILL SEND in my name, will teach AND remind you all things.» Jesus tells us that the task of the Holy Spirit is to teach us, to instruct us in the things of God. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches about the Bible. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the deep things of God unto us. It is He the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to reach our fullest potential for the glory of God. He is a divine Instructor!
The Holy Spirit reminds us also of all the things Jesus said. That is why we don't forget. When we become discouraged, the Holy Spirit in our soul rises up and wraps the comforting arms of Heavenly love and protection around us and reminds that we belong to Him. He encourages us to keep on running, to keep on going, to keep on living for Jesus. He inspires us to press forward for the glory of the Lord. Indeed, we are neither alone nor lonely because the Holy Spirit is busy within us!
To the end of the day the Christian must be a learner, for to the end of the day the Holy Spirit will be leading him deeper and deeper into the truth of God. The Christian who feels that he has nothing more to learn is the Christian who has not even begun to understand what the doctrine of the Holy Spirit means. The Christian with a shut mind is a contradiction. This is why, before you read the Bible, before you listen to a sermon, you do well to pray for the Holy Spirit for yourself.
When we listen to or read a sermon, we all hear equally the single voice of the person speaking to us and yet we each have a different perception of the meaning; we understand different things according to what the Holy Spirit wants each one of us to know. In other words, as we listen to the outside voice or as we read, we do listen as well to the inside voice in us of the Holy Spirit. A preacher or teacher's utterance is powerless if it is not accompanied by the workings of the Holy Spirit in the hearer. This is why those two disciples who were going to Emmaus said, «Were not our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us» (Lk 24,32). These disciples heard the voice of Jesus, but inside them the Holy Spirit was busy working in their hearts.
Nearly all of us have this sort of experience in life. We are tempted to do something wrong and are on the very brink of doing it, when all of a sudden back into our mind comes a saying of Jesus, the verse of a psalm, the picture of Jesus, words of someone we love and admire, like our mother, a teaching we received when very young, etc. All of these sayings that flash unbidden into our minds are the work of the Holy Spirit struggling to stop us sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment