Bible Reading: John 14:15-18
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. John 14:17
IT’S FINALLY finished! Your new invention is ready for its final test phase. It could be the greatest invention ever for Christians.
It looks a lot like a Walkman, so you call your machine “Truthman. ” You clip the control box to your belt and slip the headphones over your ears. This is no CD player, you think proudly. This is one rockin’ righteousness machine. It senses what I’m thinking and doing and then transmits the truth through my headphones. You can’t wait to crank it up.
On your way to school you’re about to cross the street against the “Don’t Walk” sign when you hear a voice in your headphones: “Romans 13:1-2 says we should obey the laws of the land. This is God’s way of protecting us from getting hurt.” Truthman works! You stop in your tracks and wait for the “Walk” sign.
Hustling through the crowded hall, you bump into another student. “Leper!” he snarls at you. Before you can even feel sorry for yourself, Truthman reminds you, “You’re no loser. John 1:12 says you are a beloved child of God.”
In third period, your geography teacher drops a surprise quiz on you. But you happen to sit next to geography genius Lynn Brazil. As you casually glance toward Lynn’s paper, Truthman says, “One of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 is ‘Do not steal,’ and that applies to quiz answers. ” You snap your eyes back to your paper and glue them there.
Things don’t work so well after lunch. You accidentally drop Truthman on the cement, and when a lustful thought toward another student comes along, all you hear through the headphones is “Bleeble … zok … snork.” And when your mom asks if you have finished your homework, Truthman’s batteries are totally dead, so you say “Almost, Mom!” when you haven’t even started. So much for your great invention.
Having something like Truthman would be great-if it worked perfectly, that is. But actually, you have something way better! It’s the Holy Spirit. He helps you grasp and apply God’s truth to your life in everyday situations. In fact, Jesus often calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth” (see John 15:26; 16:13).
Unlike your fictional Truthman, however, the Holy Spirit can’t get lost or broken or run out of batteries. He lives inside every believer-including you (see John 14: 17, 20). And you don’t have to leave the Holy Spirit in your locker. Jesus said his gift”will never leave you” (John 14: 16). Moment by moment, day by day, the Holy Spirit is closer than your next breath, ready to share God’s truth with you.
REFLECT: How do you respond when the Holy Spirit tries to teach you truth?
PRAY: Spend a few minutes thanking Christ for his great gift, the Holy Spirit.
