Their Possession

 

At times is hard to be satisfied and content with what we have (or don’t have).  We look at what others possess and think we might be happier if we had what they have.  Do you find yourself bitter or angry because you don’t get what you want or think you deserved?  When a job promotion falls through, a  grade in a class is not what you thought you deserved, or people fall short and don’t meet your expectations, these situations can easily upset us.

How about when God falls short of your expectations?  When you think you know what is best and God does not seem to be on the same page?  

Today we look at the Levites in the book of Ezekiel.  The Levites might have had feelings of disappointment when they did not receive land as their possession.

“This shall be their inheritance:  I am their inheritance:  and you shall give them no possession in Israel;  I am their possession.”

Ezekiel 44:28

The Levites, whom served as priests, would not be given a portion of the land in Israel.  This does not seem fair as they served God more than anyone else.  They dedicated their lives to service and in return they were the only ones who were not allowed to possess land.  

However, the verse goes on to say that “I am their possession.”  The Levites got something even better than land, they received God as their own possession.  This meant that they did not have to be troubled with the worries and labor involved with owning land.  They were given places to live and food to nourish them.  They were free to be completely dedicated to God without concerns of the material world.  

On a spiritual level, the Levites were given the gift of connecting with God in a deeper way than the rest of the nation.  This spiritual connection was one that they would enjoy for all of eternity.  

We may feel like the Levites, like we did not receive what we thought we should have.  We can have many material and earthly possessions, but the only possession that really matters is Jesus Christ.  If Jesus is truly our greatest possession than we rely on Him for every provision and trust that He has our future in His hands.  He is our most prized possession.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Plilippians 4:19

My Portion

Psalm 119:57 – “The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words.”

This verse has been a much needed reminder today of the joy the Lord brings into my life. Our portion – our share, our inheritance, our allotment in life, what we have and all that we possess – is God and His Kingdom. In our faith and love of the Father, we discover an eternity with Christ and a place in His Kingdom; what spectacular news! What greater destiny could we hope for? What grander gift could we possibly receive?

In Deuteronomy 32:9, Moses says “the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage.” We know that we are God’s people, that we are rightfully His and belong at His side; that He relentless pursues us because we are rightfully His. But it’s also true that the creator and lord over all mankind fulfills each of us & belongs to each of us individually as well. It’s an idea that arises multiple times throughout the Psalms: when we choose God, He becomes all we have and all we need. In Psalm 16:5: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.“ Psalm 76:23: “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 142:5: “I cry to you, O Lord. I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” It paints a beautiful picture of how in both good times and bad, our God is with us, always there to empower, comfort, and fulfill.

I am delighted that God is my portion in life. It calms my mind, eases my burdens, and erases my fears to know that when I keep His word, I please and glorify a God much mightier than I. When I am in need, He provides. When I weep, He comforts me. When I am afflicted, He rescues. And when I am joyous, the Lord is the reason. I’ve been trying to fully appreciate lately the simple fact that I am alive, here on earth, my wonderful wife and I side by side: trying to more consciously think of how each blessing in life comes from above, and to treat it accordingly. But even as all these things of this world may fade, I am granted the knowledge through my faith, greater than all else, that I have been allotted an eternity with Christ my Lord. Celebrate with me today that as believers, our portion in life is to share in God’s kingdom. For scripture teaches that when we live our lives for the God who provides, we inherit our immeasurable reward of eternity with Him.

The Great Physician

And He said to the, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did in Capernaum, do in your hometown as well.”

Luke 4:23

It is known through other scriptures and those immediately before and following these in Luke 4:22 and Luke 4:24 that Jesus was rejected in His hometown and performed few miracles there (Mark 6:5). What it is believed He is saying in Luke 4:23 is that one would assume if He can heal and perform miracles, He would do that among His family and those in His hometown like He was doing in Capernaum and other areas. However, Jesus knew they would not say that because they did not believe He was the Messiah.

Why did they not believe He was Christ? Sometimes we are too close to a situation to realize what is going on or too close to a person to realize how great they are. Have you ever heard the saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone?” Many of us may have experienced this with a loved one or relationship that we took for granted until they were gone sadly. Although Jesus personally truly had no flaws like our loved ones still did, those in Nazareth knew His mom and dad and that He came from poor parents in their region so how could He possibly be the chosen one? They were too close and knew too much…which really meant they didn’t know anything. Even His own disciples seemed to get fearful and nervous when running out of food or a storm or problem came up when just days or even hours before they saw Jesus provided what they needed and more through miracles.

I think if most of us are truthful with ourselves we can say even though we’ve never personally met Jesus, we have seen Him do miracles in our life. The probable health diagnosis of a serious problem which somehow turned out to be nothing. Struggling to know how bills would get paid or where the next meal would come from, but somehow unexpected money came in or bills were unexpectedly forgiven. Or what about the car wreck that nearly happened when someone ran a red light, but it didn’t because you just happened to look that way..even when your light had been green for a while. And although we know that some of these needs were met in ways so improbable that they absolutely had to be a miracle from God, how quickly we tend to forget what He did before when the next challenge arises sometimes even within days.

James 1:6-8 says, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” While Jesus performed some miracles in Nazareth, would He have done more if those in Nazareth would have believed? While He’s performed some miracles in our life, would He have done more if we TRULY believed He could or would when we prayed for others?

While I believe this verse in James tells us believing He can and will do what we pray for is important, it’s not always His will to perform miracles even then because He knows what’s best for us and is wiser than we are (Isaiah 55:8-9). Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” I’ve shared before that I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2019 which caused me to lose strength and some motor skills in my right hand. After 2 surgeries and correction for the stenosis, my strength has not come back yet. And while I believe He can and will heal it as only He as the Great Physician can, I’m at peace with His will. When I look down at my puny hand or struggle to do something simple and have to ask from help from my wife or someone else to do a task that used to be easy, it reminds me of the other miracles He DID perform in all of this…..finding a doctor in an improbable way who performs a surgery even Mayo didn’t know about, being able to still perform my career and write and type still despite my challenges as where my original dream to be an orthodontist would have yielded much different outcomes and financial challenges, and still being able to even walk and play catch with my children. I appreciate the little things I used to take for granted. Most importantly, it reminds me that my story can help others…not only physically by sharing my doctor and surgery no one else is performing….but spiritually by sharing with others that I can see God’s provision through the situation and that while yes…I want my hand to be at 100%….the physical and other earthly challenges we face are short…no matter how long our life. What really matters is our soul for eternity. And yes the Great Physician can heal our physical bodies and meet our physical needs, but what He can and has already saved and healed us from is what no earthly physician can..the burden of sin, death and the eternal punishment we deserve. Through His wounds, physical suffering, and death on the cross which was worse than anything we will ever face, the Great Physician has given us eternal life when we believe and trust in Him and His grace. Jesus…thank you for making my story and all of our personal stories a part of the greatest story ever told…your story.

 

 

Protector

 

 

Heb 12:2

Our verse today is smack dab in the middle of a paragraph. We can’t really understand it’s meaning unless we look at the context around it. Heb 11 is considered the- “Hall of Fame” heroes of the Jewish faith- chapter of the Bible. It is an entire chapter of accounts of people throughout history who trusted God and followed Him. Many saw or were part of miracles, some spoke prophesies, others saw their lives spared or their families lives spared or raised from the dead. If you haven’t read through it lately it is a powerful reminder of who our God is. Chapter 12 of Hebrews starts out with the word, “therefore”. “Therefore”, lets us know that to understand what is coming, we have to know what was written before, so let’s look at chapter 12 in the context those heroes of the faith in chapter 11.

Heb 12, (vs 1) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

(vs 2) We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

(vs 3) Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. “

 

Jesus is our champion. He initiated our faith by doing the work of becoming human and giving His life on the cross to buy us out of sin, wash us clean and place us back into God’s family. Is this not enough? Has anyone else ever offered to take your place in punishment for the whole of your sin? But God’s love is so vast, so deep and so all-encompassing, that giving His life for ours is not enough. He wants more for us. Being saved from death is not a big enough gift from Him. He wants to help us change and become more like He is. He wants to help us love others like He loves. He wants us to experience the joy that He has. So He is willing to enter our lives, have relationship with us and do the work of helping us change, to perfect us. Are you not blown away by this kind of love…this sacrifice…these gifts?

Since Jesus has done the work of making a way for us to have relationship with Him, what is our part in this relationship? How do we hold up our end of the bargain? We all know that relationships require two parties and both parties have to be committed to the relationship in time and energy for that relationship to form and stay healthy. There is usually ebb and flow in relationships where one is able to give more time or energy for a period of time than the other, but one party can not sustain the relationship on it’s own over the long haul. Verse 2 tells us the short answer, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus”. So simply written, but I feel like it takes a lifetime to learn how to do this consistently throughout each day, so we are characterized by focusing on Him. So what if we start thinking of our relationship with God just like we do any other relationship we currently value? Instead of the “Sunday school” answers we are temped to throw at this question of what our part is, let’s consider what it takes to grow and maintain human relationships. Long term, close relationships require time spent together. Even in the rare cases where relationships grow from a long distance, time communicating between the two parties is essential. As trust grows between the parties, honesty, vulnerability, and shared experiences become the foundation of the relationship. When all of these criteria are met consistently, love and relationship grow and flourish. The Bible is clear that we are made in God’s image so it stands to reason that the same efforts that foster relationship with humans must be effective in our relationship with God. To evaluate our relationship with God, I think we have to ask if we are actually spending time with Him consistently. Are we trustworthy to keep our word to Him? Are we honest and vulnerable with Him allowing Him in to all parts of our hearts no matter how uncomfortable we feel about showing them to Him? Are we sharing our days with Him so we have experience to draw on in the future when we face tough circumstances and feel alone in them? I don’t know about you, but I have work to do.

Last, because we are looking at what our part is in relationship with God, we can’t forget about addressing our sin on a regular basis. If we aren’t willing to be honest, name our sin and ask for forgiveness in conversation with Him, we are creating a canyon between our selves and God. Jesus’s payment is the only way to bridge that canyon and we have to acknowledge it when we realize we have sinned. If we don’t address it routinely and ask for forgiveness, our relationship will not be able to grow. We all know this in our heads, but are we actually in the habit of looking back over our days for sin? Are we consistently making time each day to acknowledge the specific choices we make and actions we take or don’t take, to tell God we know we have messed up? Do we go to Him throughout the day when we realize we have sinned? This is part of honesty and vulnerability and without it relationship is broken. Praise God that He never withholds His gifts, time or energy from us! Jesus is our champion who initiates and perfects our faith!

Our Peace

Our world has changed over the past few months. Currently, we are dealing with social and racial issues that are splitting the country apart. COVID-19 has changed the economic, physical, and emotional tides of the country. Each day, in the United States, we hear on the news about everything that is going wrong in the world around us.

Many of our families live in fear and dismay over the COVID-19 pandemic and all the other concerns going on. Each one of us is shaken and made to rely on something in their lives for hope and peace.

During all the uncertainty, I keep listening to Christians and Non-Christians’ uncertainty of what the future could be. Each one of us depends on some type of faith. I believe that during all this time, that Christians should portray a peace that passes understanding.

Ephesians 2:14 is our verse today. It says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”. Paul is speaking to the Ephesian church and is addressing the disagreements within the church. He addresses this issue by saying that, Jesus is our only true peace, and He is the only thing that can solve all their issues going on. Also, in Christ Jesus, we are made brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, as brothers and sisters, we must represent the sacrifice that Christ has made for us and rally together around that.

How does this disagreement that the church in Ephesians helps us understand peace?

Dictionary.com defines peace as “a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations:”. As stated above, we can see that we are far from peace in this country and world. There is only one way to obtain true peace, by putting your hope and faith in Christ Jesus for your salvation. Jesus says in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you that in me you have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world”. Our peace is found in Jesus!

Each day we fight, disagree, backstab, and worry all out of the fear of the future. We are looking for some type of utopian society. Because of sin, that isn’t possible, but with Christ, we do have a peace that will surpass all understanding. See Jesus paid for our sin on a cross to provide us the peace in our hearts that we yearn for. The peace that Jesus provides, is the understanding that we have a Savior and God, who loves us so much that the Father sacrificed the Son to pay for all the sin in our lives so that we can live with Christ in eternity.

In the current season of life that we are all living, Christians need to unify under one banner, the cross of Jesus Christ. I encourage each of you to keep your hope in Jesus Christ. Life isn’t easy and there will always be some amount of uncertainty. However, when we are able to band together as believers, we gifted with the Holy Spirit that strengthens us. In Galatians 3:28, Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” There is no distinction that Jesus makes.

Our peace is stronger together as Christians. I encourage you, now is the time to reach out to Christians and Non-Christians, that you know you disagree with on topics. Pray with them, share the Gospel with non-Christians and Christians alike, share a meal together, and overall be together and unify under Christ Jesus, who provides a peace that passes all understanding.

God Is Patient

If I asked you to describe God, what would you say?  Is He loving?  Is He caring?  Does He show His love for you?

The thoughts I consistently have about God are interpreting the things I read in the Bible and comparing to the world we live in today.  That is when things get difficult, and complicated.

It is fair to say that trying to compare or analyze the Bible and the application to our lives today can be a challenge.  As a student of the Bible, I get “stuck” many times trying to understand the meaning of various passages and parables.  What does this mean and how can I apply this?  Scripture is not always easy to understand, but what I have come to realize, is that a lack of understanding does not mean it does not apply to my life.  I just need to be patient and seek to understand.

What I have learned is that God is very patient with us and has communicated what our life will be like with Him and without Him.  He demonstrates throughout scripture His love for us, and ultimately His desire for us to follow Him.  God’s demonstrations of love can be clearly articulated by digging into scripture and reading His Word.

2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (NKJV)

God’s relationship with man changed when He sent His Son, Jesus, to live on earth as a human.  God sent his Son to model a sinless life, preach God’s word directly to His people, and bring us to love Jesus and be saved.  In Mathew 5:1-8, Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” is chronicled to provide us eight ways to live our life.  Jesus says, “Blessed are…”

  1. Those that are poor in spirit
  2. Those who mourn
  3. Those who are meek
  4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
  5. Those that show mercy
  6. Those that are pure in heart
  7. Those that are peacemakers
  8. Those that are persecuted for righteousness sake

Jesus was direct throughout his time on earth speaking of pain, tribulations, and the challenges of this world. The most profound experiences, trials, tribulations, and unfortunately suffering, can be the moments in which we build the most character.  Suffering and angst are horrible at the time but can have the most lasting impact on us and can strengthen our resolve and ability to overcome adversity. Scripture speaks frequently of adversity and provides us the roadmap to contentment and happiness.

Do you have a relationship with God?  Do you trust that He loves you?

Perhaps you struggle wondering how there is a God if He would “allow” tragedy, sadness, and hate in our world.  If you are looking for answers, my response is to dig into your Bible and seek to find what God says.  God never promised life would be easy.  God has never committed that we would be happy and fulfilled all the time.  In fact, Jesus spoke openly how we should not commit ourselves to love this world, but focus on following Him to pursue a righteous path to Heaven. God’s desire is for us to repent and follow Him, but the choice is ours.

My challenge to you is to not reject God because of the bad in the world or the unhappiness in your life. Run towards Him, not away from Him.  You will find the answers you are looking for, but not always in the timeframe you may want them. God is patient with us and wants us to love Him because we want to love Him not because we have to.  When we TRULY place our trust in the hands of the Lord, the Bible says in one my favorite verses, Philippians 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Lord Jesus, calm our hearts and minds.  Help us to see You at work and seek to understand how to apply your Word each day.  We know you love us Lord, and we trust You.  We seek not acceptance in this world but yearn to be with you in Heaven.  Lord Jesus, please be with us on our earthly journey and we ask to feel your presence guiding us and leading us along the way.  Amen

Pasture

Pasture. What a peaceful concept. God calls himself our Pasture, in Jeremiah’s prophesy of Judah being reunited after the fall of Babylon. God’s people were led astray, away from their true Pasture, the Lord, and they had been devoured. Unprotected. Without hope. The Babylonians even gave that as the justification for the plundering and devastation – you were the ones that were led astray by your own leaders and abandoned your Pasture, your true habitation.

But God.

Despite our wandering away from his hope-filled pasture, He comes and rescues us. Again and again.

And his pasture is beautiful. It’s wonderful. It’s sanctifying. He wants to protect us, care for us, give us hope. His pasture is so comforting because he is with us!

And yet, we wander.  Like the old hymn depicts, “prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love”.

Where do you wander?

I recently celebrated a birthday, which brought some really sweet well wishes from people that spanned different seasons of life. It was fun (and humbling!) to go back in time and think through how the Lord has been my Deliverer. My Pasture.

In my teens, I wandered right into parties and relationships I had no business being part of. I remember thinking “I will just go for a little bit”. Or, “I will just go and make good choices”. Riiiiiiiight. And the Lord had so much more for me! He had sweet fellowship and integrity for me, when I was choosing the opposite.

In my twenties, when I was so focused on starting my career and saving money, I would wander into coveting the next job. I found myself thinking about the next opportunity, instead of focusing on the one right in front of me. Who did God have for me to love? Who did I not invest in, during the seasons I was looking at the next rung on the ladder, instead of the people around me?

My thirties… oh the decade of spending too much time in the wrong pasture of worry and words. But the Lord is so faithful to call me back. To show me that He’s got a plan. Stay in his pasture of hope, stop wandering over to Worry Hill. And the words… I learned some lessons with words in my thirties, and how to avoid the pastures of gossip, and steer clear of pastures that create fire coming from my mouth. God is my Pasture, full of words that are true, lovely, and pure.

As I spend time in my forties, I know my heart will have moments of wandering, and I know our faithful God will draw me back. I’m focusing on “staying in my own lane” as one of my faith mentors has encouraged. God’s pasture is such a joyful, restful place to be, why would I ever get distracted, lost, or wander? Here’s to letting go of my “fix-it” tendencies and trading them for following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

What about you, where do you wander?  Is he calling you back to his Pasture today?

 

1. Jeremiah 50:7 
2. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758

Passover Lamb

This week marks the milestone of a major company project we’ve been working on for nearly two years. The result is transformational for our manufacturing facilities in Europe and it is both relieving and satisfying to witness the solution in motion, running the business.

Early on, I made the mistake of introducing the project without clearly sharing why it was necessary. Without “why”, people only bought in to the project because they were forced. They committed verbally but not in their hearts, and this kind of commitment typically doesn’t last long, especially when the going gets tough.

As we all matured together, the reasons why became more transparent, and now as the solution is in place the reasons why are crystal clear. What started out as mysterious, vague, daunting, and perhaps seemingly unnecessary is becoming something we cannot do without.

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7b)

Today’s name for Jesus is the “Passover lamb”. The Passover also ties back to “why” in my own faith journey, and perhaps yours as well. Hearing that story as a child and even into adulthood, until fully opening my heart and soul to Jesus Christ, the story was someone else’s story. It was merely something scary that God did a long time ago for some people I didn’t know. Standing on its own it is still significant, but the deeper meaning, the why has eternal consequences.

The Passover as described in Exodus 12 is a spiritual allegory leading us to Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, our savior. God gave us this story in order to more clearly see Jesus woven throughout the entire Old Testament. The Passover required a spotless lamb to be sacrificed and the blood from the sacrifice to be placed on the doors of those who followed God. Without the blood, there was death to all firstborn people and animals. Similarly, the why in this story, the blood of Jesus as the passover lamb is the only thing that can save us from eternal death and separation.

Is his blood on the door to your heart? Ask him to reveal himself in a new way today. Seek him with all your heart and he will show you, it is a promise that only he can keep. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Pardoner

Pardon (verb) –  to absolve from the consequences of a fault or crime; to allow (an offense) to pass without punishment; to relieve of a penalty improperly assessed (Merriam Webster).

The President of the United States has a virtually unlimited ability to pardon and commute sentences related to federal offenses, except in cases of impeachment.  Thanks to the checks and balances designed into our government, most presidential powers have limits. But the power to pardon is unlimited other than the President can’t pardon himself/herself.

Can you think of some high profile, controversial presidential pardons?  Gerald Ford pardoning Richard Nixon in 1974?  Jimmy Carter pardoning Vietnam draft dodgers in 1977?  If you live in IL, did you know Donald Trump recently pardoned former IL governor Rod Blagojevich for his federal corruption conviction related to the wheeling and dealing he did for President Obama’s senate seat?

In my opinion, the value of a pardon is directly related to the significance of the consequences and timing.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a pardon after the sentence has been served or a posthumous pardon has no value.  There is something to be said about “clearing your name”.  But a pardon or commutation that cuts a prison term short or keeps someone from having to go to jail in the first place is much more valuable (just ask Rod B how good it felt to get out of jail 6 years early).

The attribute of God we are studying today is “pardoner”.  There is no better illustration than the gospel story.

We are all guiltyAll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

We all deserve death – For the wages of sin is death…(Romans 6:23).

As long as we accept Jesus as savior, God pardons us – …as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

...we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2, 1-2).

The value of this pardon is…

  • The consequences of sin are significant – death is final
  • Timing is ideal – we can avoid eternal death by declaring faith in Jesus Christ before we die
  • It cannot be paid for or earned – it is a gift of God

…priceless.

Owner

2 Corinthians was written by Paul to God’s church in Corinth and to all the Christians throughout Greece. In this letter Paul was giving the Corinthian church the power to endure when they suffered for their faith. Corinth was a flourishing trade center and also one of the most immoral cities of its time. The Christian church would undoubtedly find difficulty in a place like this. I’m sure they faced criticism for their hope in Jesus and God’s plan for an abundant life.  Their attempts to share their faith often ended in suffering and discouragement. If not rooted in the truth and a daily communication with God it would be easy to be led astray and give up. Thankfully Paul listened to God’s plan and he continued to encourage the church to keep up their good work. To keep preaching the Good News of Christ even when it was difficult and didn’t seem to be making a difference.

Paul’s encouragement for the Corinthians is also for us today.  We are all looking at the circumstances of our world through different lenses, but as believers in Jesus our ultimate lens is God and the Bible.  As so much is happening in our world and there seems to be so much injustice and lies, what does Jesus ask of us? How are we supposed to share the truth of the Gospel while also grappling with so many questions and unknowns of our own? We are imperfect people following a perfect God. Thankfully, He knew we would struggle on our own so he sent the Holy Spirit as a helper. The Holy Spirit is the gift that comes when we accept Jesus.

Luke 15:26 “But I will send you the Counselor – the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and tell you all about me.”

In this verse Jesus uses 2 names for the Holy Spirit. The first is counselor which means the helping, encouraging, and strengthening work of the Spirit. The second is the Spirit of truth which lends itself to the teaching, illuminating, and reminding work of the Spirit. In these ways the Holy Spirit attends to both our heart and our mind. This is “God with us” on Earth. Have you had “AHA” moments when reading the Word? That’s the Holy Spirit. Have you been prompted to say something or do something in the name of Jesus that would not be your typical action? That’s the Holy Spirit. Has a verse come to mind in a certain situation? That’s the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:26 “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Have you ever been on your knees with a situation, but there are no words to express what you need? The Holy Spirit is praying on your behalf – the words you do not have. There may be no one else that knows the real turmoil or circumstances, but God knows. Humbly kneeling at His feet in prayer is all it takes. And then trust and wait for the answer. It may just be comfort or peace instead of resolution. But the peace will be undeniable.

2 Corinthians 1:17-22   It is God who gives us, along with you, the ability to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment of everything he will give us.

The Holy Spirit guarantees that we belong to God and will receive his benefits. Ephesians 1:13,14 says, “And now you 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 everything he promised and that he has purchased us to he his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God”.

I pray that you find great comfort in the knowledge that you belong to God as his son or daughter. He has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit to come alongside and help guide and direct all of your steps.  The Holy Spirit is a free gift from the “owner” of your soul. If you are feeling alone, or questioning where you belong – Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for YOU! To have a relationship with you. The Holy Spirit is just a glimpse of eternity.