"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Not only has every Christian been given the gift of eternal life, every Christian has also been given the gift of the Holy Spirit Himself. This abiding presence of the Holy Spirit was promised by Christ to His disciples, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, to be with you forever" (John 14:16-17). It is this abiding gift of the Spirit that leads us to seek God's truth within the Scriptures. It is this abiding presence that is the Spirit of adoption, who enables us to feel perfectly at home addressing God as "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:14-17). Abba, Father are common words, and therefore accurately translated, Daddy, Daddy!! The Spirit of adoption allows us to have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father!
The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives begins to make Himself known IF we allow Him. The Holy Guest is not pushy, nor does He make us act against our own will. His presence in our lives is manifested in our fruit production. Fruit production is not flashy; it is pretty plain stuff, but essential as we prepare for heavenly life. As we cling to Christ (John 15:1-17) and allow the abiding Spirit to work in our lives, His fruit is produced little by little, ". . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control" (Galatians 5:22). The fruit of the Spirit are grown as we cooperate with the Spirit's work in our lives; they are not bestowed. I wish it were that we were "zapped" with the fruit of the Spirit, instantly; life would be soooo much easier!!
Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6:10). The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the first answer to that prayer. Little by little He molds and shapes our lives with a view toward making God's will being done in our lives, just as it is done in heaven.
Grace&Peace;
Tom
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2 comments:
Tom, thanks for keeping up a good blog. I'm a regular reader, though I've never commented before. It's encouraging to read your thoughts.
--Jon
PS. I am the one who went to Colorado with your son in September 2004.
Thanks, Jon! It's good to know that there are some readers out there.
Many Blessings;
Tom
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