The Presence of the Holy Spirit

Jesus was with his disciples for around 3 years. He was physically with them in the boat during the storm. He was feeding them when they were hungry. When they became anxious, he was there to comfort them. In John 14-16, Jesus is telling them he’s leaving them and they have lots of questions. Jesus tells them that he’s going back to the Father but he’ll ask his Father to send the Holy Spirit.

There is a seemingly crazy verse in John 16:7 where Jesus says, “It’s better for you that I go.” Wait. What? No way. We’ve had you for 3 years and you’ve taken care of us but now it’s better? What Jesus is saying is God IN you is better than God WITH you.

So with the Holy Spirit living in us, what does his presence in our lives do for us? John 16:8 reminds us the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, reminds us of God’s righteousness and that God is going to judge the world. It’s the Holy Spirit that reminds us we need a Savior whose name is Jesus Christ.

Even making a decision to follow Jesus was the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who convicted us that there was a better way to live. He’s also the one that continually convicts us to be more like Jesus. He makes me aware of things that I used to ignore. Things I thought were not a big deal are now a big deal. Things I used to rationalize are no longer okay. The Holy Spirit prods me to be more like Jesus everyday.

The presence of the Holy Spirit also confirms our salvation. Paul tells us in Romans 8:16 that His Spirit joins our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Paul also reminds us in Ephesians 1:13-14, “…you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 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. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

Finally, the presence of the Spirit comforts us during difficult times in life. Jesus says in John 14:16, “the Father will send another comforter…” The Spirit gives us the peace that passes all understanding. It’s the idea that one can’t really explain but must be experienced to fully understand.

You’ve seen folks going through difficult times and thought, “I am not sure how they are doing that.” When they are following Jesus, that is the Spirit at work in their lives helping them move through the storm. I’ve seen widows walk tall, villagers walk for hours, those silenced in foreign countries speak with their lives, mom’s very their children and divorced parents come together for the good of their kids. All of that happens because the Spirit is there walking with them in those dark moments.

So how do we feel the presence of the Spirit in our lives? You have to put your self in a position to let the Holy Spirit work. He’s been described like the wind. So put yourself in the space to let your life sails catch the wind. We can do that be creating daily space to be in God’s Word and prayer, surrounding ourselves with other followers of Jesus and be fully vested in the life of a church. You must create margin. You must be still and sit and wait.

God’s Holy Spirit wants to connect with you. So create space in your life to see his work and feel his presence. Blessings on the journey.

He is Emmanuel!

You and I enjoy this time of year because we get reacquainted. We get to see folks who have been physically absent in our lives most of the year. We travel to grandma’s house to sit around a dinner table with cousins we haven’t seen in a while. We go on vacation to see friends in distant states. We slow down to see that in fact, we are married and what a joy to take some time with the one we love so much!

This time of year, we celebrate the coming of Jesus. God with skin on. The God who moved into our neighborhood and lived among us. In Matthew 1, the angel tells us that Jesus’ name is Emmanuel which literally means in Hebrew, “God with Us”. The angel announces the prophecy made 740 years before Jesus’ birth by Isaiah. See, God is relational and He wants a relationship with you but what does it mean that God is with us, not only this season but all year long?

We can be assured that God IS with us. Gabriel announced to Mary in Luke 1, “Greeting! The Lord is with you.” God is ever-present in our lives. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 1 that is is right along side us in life. Paul uses the Greek phrase, “Para kalaeo” which means to pull along side. No matter what is going on in your life, God is with you right now.

But God also WAS with you. Sometimes God can best be seen in the review mirror. I mean, we can look backwards in our life and realize God has been there through the thick and thin. The story of Joseph (with the coat of many colors) in the last half of the book of Genesis is a great story to illustrate this. He was a man who put God first in everything yet had a difficult life. His brothers hated him so they sold him into slavery. Once there in Egypt, he is falsely accused of sexual misconduct and thrown into prison. But in Genesis 39, it says, “But the Lord was with Joseph in prison…” By the end of the story, Joseph is second in command of the entire country. See, the Lord was WITH Joseph through the tough years to get him to the best life he could hope for. God has been with you too.

Finally, God WILL BE with you. We know the story of Jesus life and resurrection but young Mary did not. What if she could say at 12 years of age, I know God will be with me when I tell Joseph about my pregnancy, I know God will be with me with there is no room at the inn, I know God will be with me when we run to Egypt to save my baby’s life, I know God will be with me when I see my son walking down main street with a cross on his bloodied back, I know God will be with me when I kneel at the cross and he takes his last breath, I know God will be with me when we wait in silence the three days after his death but then find an empty tomb!!

You see, God is with you, he has been with you, and he will be with you. He’ll never leave or forsake you. The question is, “Are you with God?” You can only have the perfect peace and real love in your life if you say “yes” to the baby in the manger. It’s the season to believe and take the greatest gift you’ll ever receive in Jesus! Blessings on your journey.