“…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Act 1: 8, HCSB
Dear Lord, we pray that You will be with us as we study Your Word. May we be guided by Your Holy Spirit. In Christ’s name. Amen
We ended our devotional yesterday with the prayer that God would send us His rain (the descent of the Holy Spirit). When Jesus was returning to heaven He said it was advantageous for His followers that He leave, so that the Spirit could come (John 16: 7).
Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “another” Comforter, and the Spirit of truth. What is the role of a comforter? If we base His role on the definition of the word, then we would come up with functions such as, to bring relief, to cause to relax, to console, to bring ease, to reassure, to make one feel cozy, and relaxed, to bring solace. And the Spirit indeed brings all of this peacefulness into our lives by producing His fruit in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5: 22, 23). We see all of these qualities in the life of Christ. Therefore we could rightfully conclude, that the Comforter that would come would be a Comforter of the quality of Christ!
He is also the Spirit of Truth; and truth is not always pleasant to us in our fallen condition. Matthew 23 is an example of truth in action, “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers” (4). “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (11). ” ‘Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves…’ ” (15). The difference with when Jesus tells us the truth, hard as it may seem, and when we tell each other the truth, is that Jesus always tells the truth in love! You see my friends, His heart-felt desire is to bring salvation to every son and daughter of the human race. If we are lost, (God forbid); it will be because we chose to be lost.
So, some of us might be comfortable with a Comforter (no pun intended); but we might be uneasy with the Spirit of Truth. Just remember, we do not control the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is to control us. The Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Truth are one and the same. Therefore, you cannot have one without the other. By God’s grace, do not limit the work of the Spirit, His plans for you, are plans of salvation. Just relax, and let God save you.