Following in Truth
I was reading in John 16 the other day, and verses 7-15 really popped out:
Psalm 23:3- G-d will guide all who are His. There are three voices: my voice, the accuser's voice, and the voice of the Holy Spirit. He's already there... so am I hearing Him? G-d didn't give me a part of Him- He gave me all of Him! Right now I'm working on giving back as much to G-d as He gave of Himself to me- all of me, not just a part of me. In her book, Passion and Purity, Elizabeth Elliot writes, "The disciples could find only five loaves of bread and two fishes. "Let Me have them," said Jesus. He asked for all. He took them, said the blessing, and broke them before He gave them out. I remembered what a chapel speaker, Ruth Stull of Peru, had said: "If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad." I want to follow Jesus in truth applied personally.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
For me, that was kind of odd to think about- it is to our advantage that Jesus "go away?" Absolute tragedy is more like it! How strange that seemed when I first read it. Jesus had to go (and went willingly) for our good. There was no accident, mistake, or any such thing, but it was an intended plan. Why? Because G-d's Spirit- the Holy Spirit- needed to come. Truth in bodily form was leaving the disciples, but the reality is Truth was coming in spiritual form- G-d's Spirit will rest on those who seek Him. Three quick things about the Holy Spirit- He is holy (Revelation 4:8), He is G-d (you're not to ultimately rely on your conscience) and He is our Helper- Devine help to counsel, to convict, and to guide.
It's all about moving forward well in Christ, for every believer all the time. Only G-d can satisfy. As it says in John 17:17, His Word is truth, His Spirit is truth. Three quick things that I've been learning the past few months about the Holy Spirit's purpose:
To Teach Us
We're all misguided without the Spirit in us, working through our lives as believers in Christ. He reveals the truth to us- so our job is to listen and learn, not to quench Him. He is the One who "connects the dots" if you will of our spiritual truth and applies it to our lives. As a mentor of mine says, "There's nothing to compare to being tutored by G-d."
To Convict Us
Godly conviction through the Holy Spirit. By grace, He challenges our state and urges our submission. So our job is to submit and obey (Proverbs 29:1).
To Lead Us
Psalm 23:3- G-d will guide all who are His. There are three voices: my voice, the accuser's voice, and the voice of the Holy Spirit. He's already there... so am I hearing Him? G-d didn't give me a part of Him- He gave me all of Him! Right now I'm working on giving back as much to G-d as He gave of Himself to me- all of me, not just a part of me. In her book, Passion and Purity, Elizabeth Elliot writes, "The disciples could find only five loaves of bread and two fishes. "Let Me have them," said Jesus. He asked for all. He took them, said the blessing, and broke them before He gave them out. I remembered what a chapel speaker, Ruth Stull of Peru, had said: "If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad." I want to follow Jesus in truth applied personally. G-d, it's not a novel, it's not a mystery, it's more than a simple love story- it's You. Let me lean forever on Your wills and way and plan for my life. Let me follow You in Truth.