Life at its Best

Chuckle: "Dad are you growing taller?" "No, son. Why do you ask?" "Because the top of your head is poking up through your hair."

Quote: “To God the Father, God the Son, And God the Spirit, Three in One, Be honour, praise, and glory given by all on earth, and all in heaven.” --Isaac Watts

Jesus said to his disciples: "But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Counselor (Holy Spirit) won't come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you" (John 16:7 NLT).

Just imagine how the disciples must have felt when Jesus said He was leaving them to return to the Father who had sent Him. It must have been terribly difficult for them to understand that Jesus' going away was really the best thing for them. In reality, Jesus' going back to the Father after his redemptive work on earth was done opened yet another vista of God's love and provision for those who love Him. The gift of the promised Holy Spirit provides for His unending presence and amazing power in our lives.

We can intellectually accept the Biblical truth that the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us when we become believers and followers of Christ. But if we treat Him like something to be ignored except in times of emergency, He provides us no real assistance or direction for our daily lives. Just to know He dwells within us is not nearly enough. I like this statement by Dr. Mark Kemp: "We must daily recognize, seek, and yield to the Holy Spirit so that we can experience the presence and power of God each day of our lives. He is ours for the asking." Jesus said, ". . . how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:13 NIV).

If Jesus had not died, there would be no good news of God's love, and our sins could not be removed. He could not have risen from the grave and defeated death. If He had not gone back to the Father, the Holy Spirit would not have come to be our companion, counselor, and comforter. By God's choosing, Christ's presence on earth was mainly limited to one place at a time. But His return to the Father meant He could be omnipresent (present throughout the whole world at the same time in the person of His Spirit).

Grasping the significance of the Spirit's omnipresence helps us understand why Jesus could say to his followers, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12 NIV). Just think for a moment about what the Holy Spirit has accomplished in the 2000 years since Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father.

The Holy Spirit, working in, and through, people just like you and me, has caused literally millions of people to come to know Christ. Yes, because Jesus returned to the Father, even greater things have been accomplished for God's kingdom. Are you taking advantage of the precious gift of the Holy Spirit by allowing Him to bring the power of God's presence into your life each day? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to grow God's kingdom through you? Are you enjoying life at its very best in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Love, Jerry & Dotse