THE HOLY SPIRIT—- GOD’S GRACE UPON US
The Holy Spirit— God’s Grace Upon Us
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) —John 7:37-39
It is all about grace— God’s favor upon us which is unearned and undeserved. The Father is the One who draws us to Jesus (John 6:44). The Holy Spirit of God is given to a person not because they earn Him or deserve Him. No, He is given to every single person who believes and calls on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 10:13)– “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit, He is our “guarantee!” Yes, it is all about God’s grace to us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwCTbhImNeI
If a person has truly trusted the Lord Jesus there will be evidence that the Holy Spirit is in their lives. He will produce fruit in a person’s life revealing that the person has truly trusted Jesus (Galatians 5:16-26). Also, the person is growing to hate evil as God does (Proverbs 8:13) and seeking His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and serving Him (II Timothy 3:16-17). The follower of Jesus should now grieve over their sin as the Holy Spirit does (Ephesians 4:30) and seek not to “quench the Spirit” as mentioned in I Thessalonians 5:19.
Evidence and it is about the whole of a person’s life and not just when they are in a Christian gathering of some sort. Someone has once said that “we are truly who we are when we are in the shadows with nobody else around.” We are to be honoring the Lord with our whole life and not part of it. It is not about showing up on Sunday and then living life like we want. It is about serving the Lord at all times, seeking to honor Him at all times. May this be so in our lives— the Holy Spirit bearing witness that we belong to the Lord Jesus by the fruitful evidence in our lives. May it be so today.
Dear Father, may I walk in the Spirit and not according to the sinful desires of the flesh. Oh, that I would honor the Lord Jesus today in everything I say and do. May it be so in the Name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit.