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The Spirit of Life –
What is the best gift you’ve ever received? It seems that in many churches today the Holy
I’d be pretty certain that it was something Spirit is either misunderstood or neglected.
that you had already wanted. Even when Either he becomes the focus of attention as the
you receive ‘surprise’ gifts they aren’t performer of tricks or he is so downplayed that
completely surprising because the gift is you would hardly know that he exists. Some
usually given by someone who knows what want the gifts of the Spirit more than the gift
you like. But what do you do with a gift that of the Spirit and others pretend that the Spirit,
you don’t really want? You might re-gift it who is God’s gift, no longer gives gifts to his
to someone else, or more likely, you’ll just people. But the Holy Spirit is so much more
ignore it; it will be left in a corner somewhere than a spiritual vending machine or a
to gather dust. Most of the time, however, the hidden force. As one writer once quipped
gifts we receive are well-chosen and therefore (paraphrasing the Apostles’ Creed), ‘We believe
well-liked. in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth; and we believe in Jesus Christ his
On one occasion when Jesus was teaching his Son; but we are not so sure about the Holy
followers about prayer, he told them that Spirit.’ In this article I want to focus on four
they ought to come to the Father with boldness aspects of the Holy Spirit that I think will help
- asking, seeking, and knocking. Knowing us to get more serious about this divine person
that they would never answer their own and wonderful gift to God’s people. We’re going
children’s request with something bad, Jesus to look at: The Personality of the Holy Spirit;
goes on to ask, ‘If you then, who are the Presence of the Holy Spirit; the Peace of the
evil, know how to give good gifts to Holy Spirit and the Power of the Holy Spirit.
your children, how much more will the I hope that in doing so, you will discover afresh
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to the One who not only gives us life but who
those who ask him!’ (Luke 11:13). What Jesus sustains and keeps us through it.
says here is amazing. He is contrasting ‘evil’
people who give what is good with the heavenly
Father who gives what is best. And what is the Understanding
best gift that the Father can give us? The Holy
Spirit! Notice that Jesus says the Father will give
the Spirit to those who ask him. Of course, this the Holy Spirit’s
was before the Spirit had yet been poured out
upon God’s people (John 7:39), but his words
indicate that this is a gift his disciples should personhood makes
want. The promise of the coming Spirit (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:4; 2:33) is a gift that is now given
to all who trust in Christ (Rom. 8:9) but this is a all the difference in
gift that we should all desperately want and be
thankful to have. But if we’re perfectly honest, the world.
is this really a gift that we appreciate?
