April 3
Bible Reading: John 14:15-26
John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
The news of His pending departure troubled Jesus’ disciples, so He comforted them with the promise of His future return. But what were they to do in the meantime? How would they cope without Jesus to lead them? Surprisingly, Jesus declared that His leaving would be to their advantage, for it would open the door for the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to come (John 16:7)!
Our passage reminds us of some important truths regarding the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person—not an “it,” or a force, or an energy. He is a divine person—the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ! We know this is true because of the promise we find here: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). He “will be in you,” Jesus promised, and so it is for everyone who trusts in Him. You’ll find that same truth clearly articulated in other passages (1 Corinthians 6:19, 12:13, and 1 John 4:13).
Jesus called the Spirit the Helper, which means “one called alongside to help.” Since the moment of saving faith, the Helper has indwelt you. Wherever you’ve been and whatever you’ve gone through, you’ve never been alone. Though it is possible for you to quench the Spirit, or grieve the Spirit, He has never left you and never will. His ministry is to mediate the presence of Christ to you, in you, and through you. His ministry is so intimately intertwined with Christ, He is even referred to as the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). Throughout your journey, He’s been directing your focus to Jesus, as a pilot keeping you on course! How blessed you are in His indwelling presence!
Charles Spurgeon has spoken of how blessed we are: “You that are believers have the most forcible reasons to hold the Holy Ghost in the highest esteem; for what are you now without him? What were you, and what would you still have been, if it had not been for his gracious work upon you? He quickened you… He gave you understanding…He awakened your conscience…He gave you abhorrence of sin…He taught you to believe, and made you see that glorious Person who is to be believed, even Jesus, the Son of God. The Spirit has wrought in you your faith and love and hope, and every grace. There is not a jewel upon the neck of your soul which he did not place there.”
Charles Spurgeon
“If the truth of the Holy Spirit as set forth in the name ‘Helper’ once gets into our heart and abides there, it will banish all loneliness forever; for how can we ever be lonely when this best of all Friends is ever with us?” – R. A. Torrey
BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love the way you love,
and do what you would do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with yours,
to do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with you the perfect life
for all eternity.
LookingtoJesus 