Equipped to live for His glory
If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. John 14:15-17
From our text, Jesus was giving His disciples an admonition that will help them be prepared as the hour of His death drew near. Jesus explained to His disciples that they will not be left by themselves. He also reminded them of His promised return to get those who trusted Him as Lord and Savior so they could be with Him in heaven for eternity (see John 14:1-4). This relationship was sealed and guaranteed through the presence of the Holy Spirit that resides in those that trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior. “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people” (Eph. 1:14).The coming of the Spirit was the promise of the Father. He is God’s gift to every believer. Jesus told the disciples about the coming of the Spirit before He ascended to heaven. They would receive the Spirit when our Savior’s days on earth ended. The disciples were commanded not to leave Jerusalem because they needed to experience the working and filling of the Holy Spirit. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” (Luke 24:49). It is only through the coming of the Spirit that every believer would experience the mighty working of God so that the Great Commission would be fulfilled (see Matthew 28:18-20). It is through the Holy Spirit that you will be empowered as you live out your commitment. His presence in your life is very important if you want to live a victorious Christian life. He is the One that will guide you in your daily life. “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” (Gal. 5:16). It is the Holy Spirit that will convict you of your sins and will lead you to seek repentance. It is the Holy Spirit that will help you gain the strength and courage to carry out God’s will; “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. He is co-equal to God the Father and God the Son. We must grow in our understanding of the character of the Holy Spirit so we will grow knowing Him. Ask God each day to help you yielding your life to the working of the Holy Spirit. God wants you to experience the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through your life. He blessed you with His gifts He alone could produce in your life so that each day you will live be equipped to be an expression of God’s glory. “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com