Pastor’s Corner: “Jesus’ Best Gift”
Luke 11:13 (NLT) – 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
I read the story of a pastor who gave some advice to a young man when he was leaving for Bible College. He said, “Watch out for people who talk about the Holy Spirit.” He didn’t tell him to work hard or listen to his professors. This one sentence is all he gave him. The young man didn’t realize it at the time, because his spiritual background ignored the work of the Holy Spirit, but there is something very wrong (yet very common) about that statement.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, what did He leave for those who would receive Him as their Lord and Savior? Think about that……..Jesus left us a gift! If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He loved us enough to die for us on the cross, paying the debt of our sins, do you think that this gift He left us is good or valuable? Why would we want to ignore this gift? It’s like a child waking up on Christmas morning to open gifts and they ignore the biggest package under the tree with their name on it. That’s not natural. We go for the biggest present first, we don’t ignore it. The Holy Spirit is the biggest gift!
The Holy Spirit is so much more than a tangible gift that is unwrapped and so many times becomes worn out, broken and later forgotten. The Holy Spirit is a person, a Someone, to whom scripture says that we can cry out to, asking God to come and personally fill our lives. The Holy Spirit is far more than the symbols mentioned in scripture such as fire, wind, water, breath. He is a helper, comforter, healer, advocate and friend. The older I become the more I value the gift of a person’s presence instead of a tangible gift. When we fall in love with a person, we desire their presence and value what they have to say.
Is the Holy Spirit God? God has three parts: the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. God, who not only loves us, but is love, desires to be as close to us as He can. If we love Jesus, we will also love His Spirit. Jesus said that His Spirit would take Jesus’ place here on this earth. Therefore, Holy Spirit would be God’s personal presence in our daily lives, making it possible to walk the disciple’s path as God intended for us. When God gives us Holy Spirit, He gives us nothing less than His own self. And let me tell you, Holy Spirit isn’t weird; He isn’t rude; and He isn’t some far off spiritual being. The Holy Spirit is a person; He intercedes for us and through us. He hears, speaks, teaches, and guides us into truth. He glorifies Christ, reveals Christ to us, and brings all of Christ’s words to our remembrance. He shows us the things to come, knows the deep things of God, searches all things, and reveals all things. Where He is, there is liberty. He inspired the writers of the Bible. He reveals the Son to us. We are convicted by Him, born again by Him, led by Him, filled by Him, and sealed by Him. Now why would anyone want to watch out for people who talk about Him?
I have come to believe that the difference between being a part-time Christian and a passionate follower of Jesus is how close we live in God’s presence and value His amazing gift. When we fall in love with someone, we want to be with that person without separation. We desire conversation as well as quiet time, just enjoying each other’s presence. To be without the other’s presence is unthinkable. So it is when we really fall in love with Jesus, nothing can take the place of his presence through His Holy Spirit.
Perhaps you grew up in a church that treated the Holy Spirit like the crazy uncle you have to endure at Thanksgiving. Or maybe you witnessed some abuse of Holy Spirit and His gifts. Or maybe you’re a new Christian and don’t know much about Him. As you read through this devotional, it’s my prayer that you can come to know how truly great He is and how victorious your Christian life can be when you have a relationship with Him. I want to encourage you to read the Bible each day with an open heart. Listen for what Holy Spirit might say or reveal to you. I promise you, if you will open your heart to Holy Spirit over the next 28 days, you’ll see an increase of His presence and power in your life. He wants to do amazing things in and through you if you’ll let Him.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton