Jesus said that our Dads give us good things, so how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. That's a terrific truth in Luke 11:13.
I realize the Spirit has baptized me; washed me; and regenerated me back in 1984-85, and He shall never leave me. And yet, I try and pray each morning for our Father to give me the Holy Spirit; to fill me, to help me walk in the Spirit, to have His wisdom and love working in my heart and life this day.
And you know, every day is different, even then. Some days I may share the good news of Christ with unbelievers, and other days I stumble and fall all over the place.
But, the truth that Christ died for me, and His precious blood has brought forgiveness for all my sin is embedded deep in my soul, and this good news is powerful.
Jesus said, "It is finished!" And how I love that verse.
I think the difference we have to offer them, mainly, is we have the Gospel in it's pureness, and simplicity. We are not trying to earn our way into heaven. We simply trust in Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
Even when I'm not walking in the Spirit as I should, the Gospel is the Gospel.
When I am with the Spirit as I should be, then the fruit in my heart and life is love. Love for Jesus, unashamed. And the aroma of this fruit is a heart of gratitude; being very grateful to Jesus Christ for dying for me, and taking all my sins upon Himself, and the Father condemning with His wrath all these sins forever. They are all blotted out. The hundreds of thousands of sins I have committed, and will commit are graciously taken from me, as far as the east is from the west.
This is the difference. And I wish I looked like I believe this every hour of the day, but I don't.
Hopefully I will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and become more and more mature, so I can perhaps help others grow, and also shine for the glory of our Savior.
2 comments:
If we are talking unsaved vs the redeemed, my "religion" offers them a right relationship with God, or in the words of J.I. Packer, "Knowing God."
Yep, the unsaved vs redeemed. J.I. Packer's Knowing God is one of the all time great classic books.
"..God receives us as sons, and loves us with the same steadfast affection with which he eternally loves his beloved only-begotten. There are no distinctions of affection in the divine family. We are all loved just as fully as Jesus is loved. ...This, and nothing less than this, is what adoption means. No wonder John cries, "Behold, what manner of love!" When once you understand adoption, your heart will cry the same." -James Packer, From Knowing God, chapter 19, Sons of God.
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