(A commentary on John 15:26-16:4)
Daily Reflection – 5/10/2021
Sacred Scripture
But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. . . .I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. (John 15:26-16:4)
Reflection
We all have moments of doubt. We all have moments when we evaluate the morality of a thought, a word, an action. We all have moments when the beauty and goodness of God shines bright through the deeds of another.
Throughout all of those moments is a constant. A constant that we might overlook at times. That constant is throughout scripture – from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelations.
That constant is the Holy Spirit.
It is and was a gift of God. We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us live as disciples of Jesus Christ. The Spirit gives us courage and perseverance when we meet adversities and challenges. The Spirit gives us wisdom when we contemplate a decision. The Spirit is the breath of God that each of us has.
Have you ever thought about the fact that the scriptures are always showing us what the Spirit does? Tracing those actions is important, because what the Spirit does tells us what God does. A history of the Spirit’s actions etches a portrait of our invisible God. We can identify seven actions of God’s Spirit within the scriptures. God’s Spirit creates, sustains, saves, judges, inspires, equips, and guides.
And that is the gift. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to know God personally. He gives us experiential knowledge of God as our Father. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the knowledge, wisdom and plan of God for the ages and the Spirit enables us to see with the “eyes of faith” what the Father and the Son are doing. Through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit we become witnesses to the great work of God in Christ Jesus.
Each of us is Christ’s minister of grace in our homes, our work places, our communities, our families and among our friends. That is where each of us lives out the Spirit. In those moments when we live out the presence of the Spirit, each of us becomes an icon of Christ.
Each day when we listen and open our hearts to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we become part of Cristian history spanning more than two millennia. While each of us may not find our way into published history, each of us perpetuates that history.
The Advocate is here, among, with, and in you and me–the chosen. The chosen. Think about that as you move through life.
Prayer of The Day
“Come, Holy Spirit, come and fill us with your power. Come and fill us with truth. Come and fill us with Christ Himself that we may bear him faithfully in our lives. This we ask in His name and for His sake. Amen.”
Daily Note
Jesus offers his disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend? Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our counselor and advocate. Counselor is a legal term for the person who defends someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who guides and strengthens us and brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life.
