“I will put My Spirit in you and you will live...then you will know
that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:14
One of the most beloved children’s books of all time tells
the story of a little train that faced obstacle after obstacle but it finally
mustered up enough courage, strength and fortitude to steam up the track
saying, “I think I can. I think I
can. I think I can.” At that point, the little train conquered its
fears and inadequacies and the train powered itself to do all the things it
could never do before. That story
recalls the human spirit - something deep within that drives a person to
overcome failure to be a success. Our human
nature likes this story because it gives hope that the underdog can become
champion. It’s the American rags to
riches story. All WE have to do is get
in touch with our inner spirit and we will succeed.
This story pumps us up with the thought we can do anything
if we just set our mind to it. But on
the Day of Pentecost, which we celebrate this Sunday - God reveals a completely
different story. We confess that we
CANNOT by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or even come to
Him. There is NOTHING within us - no inner spirit - that can break the bond of
our sinful nature and come to a saving relationship with Jesus. That’s why Jesus promised to send the gift of
the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Counselor, because apart from the Vine we can
do NOTHING.
If you ask someone to define the Holy Spirit, you may hear
anything from a “feeling” to a “presence” to a “ghost” to a vague “something or
another.” But through the Bible, we know
exactly who the Spirit is. The Holy
Spirit is God continuing His saving work in our midst through the Third Person
of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit calls,
gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies us in the one true faith. He lives in us, works through us, and makes
us followers of Christ so that other disciples can be made.
May the grace, mercy and peace of God so fill us with His Spirit that we may know the life God has in mind for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment