The Gift

​This is what Jesus told His disciples before He was crucified:  "But I tell you the truth:  It is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." (John 16:7)  "But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (John 16:13-14)  Those who confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior receive the Holy Spirit--the fullness of God, the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, the very Presence of God--into their spirits.  What an amazing gift!!
 
Maybe you were given a beautifully wrapped gift box for Christmas that looked so gorgeous that you were hesitant to open it.  However, it had to be done in order for you to discover what was hidden inside.  Slowly, you slid off the ribbon, released the tape and pulled the paper aside.  Once this was done, the lid had to be taken off the box and then the tissue paper pulled back.  First, you would get a glimpse of the gift; then you would pick it up and get familiar with it and imagine how to use it.  Finally, you would try it out and then use it for its intended purpose.  The more you use it, the more valuable it would become.
 
Jesus gave His disciples and those of us who acknowledge Him to be our Lord, the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us in life and to guide us in all wisdom and truth.  He shared this:  "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...You may ask me anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:12-14)  "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of Truth..." (John 14:16-17)
 
Now, we must ask ourselves a question:  Have we gotten to know and fully use our gift of the Holy Spirit?  Have we unwrapped the gift yet?  Some of us finished unwrapping our gift but put it aside.  Some of us are using the gift but have not experienced the Holy Spirit in His fullness.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is waiting on us to connect with Him regularly so that He can release the fullness of His power into our lives.  We must become aware of the Holy Spirit's presence.  Daily, we must invite Him to fill us up and anoint us to carry the glory of the Lord wherever we go.  May I suggest that we intentionally engage the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we can walk in His power as we begin the new year.
 
I pray that we will have an experience like the disciples did when they were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.