Bible Reading: John 14:22-26
The Holy Spirit. .. will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. John 14:26
IT’S YOUR first day of baby-sitting two-year-old Justin Miller, so his mom is giving you instructions just before she leaves.
“Justin isn’t a very good eater,” she explains. “So when you feed him lunch and dinner, it doesn’t matter if he finishes. Just serve him a good meal and let him eat as much as he wants. Then give him one of my homemade cookies.”
“Are you serious?” you ask, amazed. You can’t believe it. Your mom never gave you dessert unless every single pea and carrot and brussels sprout disappeared from your plate. You silently wish Mrs. Miller would adopt you.
At lunchtime you serve Justin chicken noodle soup and carrot sticks. He has three slurps of soup and half a carrot stick. You give him a cookie, and he eats the whole thing. The same thing happens at every other meal that week. You hope the kid doesn’t die of malnutrition while you’re watching him.
By Friday night-after Justin’s mom has paid you for the week, of course-you find the courage to say, “Mrs. Miller, I don’t think Justin should get a cookie if he doesn’t eat his lunch or dinner. He’s not getting enough nutrition.”
Mrs. Miller smiles a knowing smile. “That’s why he always gets dessert,” she says. “I put his vitamins in every cookie.”
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ who lives inside you, is like that wise mom. His ministry is to keep you spiritually healthy by getting spiritual vitamins into you. Or in the words of Jesus, the Holy Spirit “will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you” (John 14:26). He takes the truth you need to understand today and serves it to you in a form you can digest.
It might happen like this. You are studying your Bible and it’s whooshing way over your head. Then you read a verse and-wham! -something is suddenly clear to you. It’s like God is right there saying, “Here’s what this means in your life.” Or you are listening to a Christian CD and one line of the lyrics moves you to make a much needed change in your behavior. Or you are in a Bible study, and something your leader says helps you make an important decision. Or you are singing a worship song, and suddenly you are moved to tears by seeing a side of God you never saw before.
God knows how to get you the “vitamins” you need to keep you spiritually strong.
REFLECT: Are you surprised that God is so committed to your growth? What do you think about that?
PRAY: Tell him about it in prayer.
