Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, February 10, 2016

This Week’s Devotional Focus is, “The Holy Spirit.”

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13).

You CAN handle the truth! As we continue our devotional thoughts about the Holy Spirit, the Bible introduces a different title for Him. He is called the Spirit of truth.

If there is one precious commodity the entire world needs, it’s truth. In both of the countries that I hold citizenship, there is lots of campaigning going on. Partisan politics is alive and well. Each candidate and the parties they represent all profess to be telling the truth. If you are anything like me, some of the “truth” that’s being told is really curious. How can so many people have so many truths about the same subjects?

I am thankful that God does not make it so difficult to ascertain what is true. He gives us the Spirit of truth as our divine Helper. The truth into which He guides us may seem apparent at first glance, but it’s much deeper than many of us suppose. Yes, the Bible does say that when He comes (to us) He will guide us into all truth. This is an inclusive term. He will teach us all we need to know. This verse of Scripture is a bit more targeted. God wants guide us into all truth about Him, and all truth about us. This is what the original language suggests. God is holy! That’s clear. We, on our own, are not holy. That was clear too. Now we have something to work with.

You see, the problem with most people is that we are in denial about a great many things; not the least of which is the true state of our characters. Most of us believe we are much better off than we are. When a person does not sense or accept the reality of their need, they obviously will not seek guidance. Moreover, most of us have no grasp of just how holy God is. The Bible says that even His name is holy. He is a consuming fire. What happens when a completely holy God and a completely unholy person come into the same space? Well, you know.

Here’s the blessing of the Spirit’s role of truth giving: the same One who knows the mind and fulness of the character of God, also empowers us to relinquish our sinful characters so we can come into harmony with Him. The Holy Spirit does not simply show us our faults in light of God’s holiness. He also gives us all we need to come into conformity to His will.

You may be wondering what the big deal is. Well, would you rather be ignorant of God’s will for your life or learn how to march in lock step with heaven and live eternally with God? If you’d prefer the latter, would you like to try and tidy yourself to no avail with the little information you have or be constantly guided and empowered by Almighty God? Your answer, I hope is obvious. With the Spirit ever by our sides paving the way to right relationship with God, we cannot fail. The truth about God is that while He is absolutely holy, He is also absolutely merciful to hopeless people who are entrenched in sin. Not only will He teach us to know the truth, He will also give us the grace to live it. When He is active in our lives, we CAN handle the truth.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)