John 14: 26
But the helper, the Holy Spirit …, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Throughout history God has been with humanity in one form or another. During Old Testament times God’s presence was with the people but there was little known about the son. The Israelites learned that a Messiah would come but besides a few prophets they knew very little about who to expect. Then the Messiah came and the New Testament is primarily about him. There was almost nothing known about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. As Jesus prepared to leave earth he began teaching people about the Holy Spirit and telling them what to expect. In verse 18 of this chapter Jesus promised that he would not leave us as orphans but that he would come back to get us. In the interim he sent the Holy Spirit to us as a gift. God sent Jesus. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. We are living in the age of the Holy Spirit and yet I find that we know very little about him. I believe it is to our advantage that we learn about him.
The Holy Spirit has many roles in our lives. In this one verse today we see several of the important ways the Holy Spirit aids us. He is a helper, a teacher and a reminder of all that Jesus has said. He will bring to your mind scriptures whenever you need them but he is so much more. He is the power of God, a pledge of promises yet to come, a promise himself and a gift but the role that is perhaps most significant is that he is a comforter. Jesus sent a comforter to be with us at all times. He is called the stand beside because he comes along beside us at all times. We use the expression, “I’ve got your back.” Imagine one of the three aspects of God with you side by side all day, every day telling you that he has your back. He is a protector. He does all the heavy lifting for you in all things. He is like that perfect best friend. You are sealed in him and his presence with you is a sign that you are a valued child of the Most High.
You can also get to know the Holy Spirit. He is the third person of the trinity so if you can know God; if you can know Jesus, then you can also know the Holy Spirit. He may even have a name, probably does. Jesus is part of the Father but he has his own name. Perhaps you can get the Spirit to reveal his name to you. Think about that for a moment. God has a name, Jesus has a name and even your angels have names. How is it that we have not inquired of the Spirit that is with us day and night as to his name? But we can.
We are the people that God spoke of in Joel 2: 28: “And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.” We are the children of promise. I think we should take our inheritance seriously and find out what benefits we are entitled to under this promise from God. You know how God loves for us to exercise our rights. I believe that there is an enormous blessing in our relationship with the Holy Spirit of God and that it is just waiting to be revealed. Pursue God the Father; pursue God the Son but do not fail to seek out God the Holy Spirit.
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