A Daunting Challenge

Monday, March 10, 2014            A Daunting Challenge

John  16: 1-11

Today’s passage is Good News to us as well as a daunting challenge. God’s people have always longed for the day when God’s justice will prevail throughout the world. Jesus promised that with the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, God is working to answer the longing of our heart.

Jesus has promised that our Advocate will guide and empower us. Jesus is not saying that the Holy Spirit will be working independently of us to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit, working in and through his followers, will bring justice to the world. When the followers of Jesus lead lives of honesty and integrity, they will stand apart from the ways of the world. Their lifestyle will contrast sharply with the ways of people who do not believe in Jesus. When the followers of Jesus speak out against injustice in the world, their beliefs will contrast sharply with the ways of the world. When the followers of Jesus work diligently in ministries of mercy and justice, their ideals will contrast sharply with the ideals of the world. When the followers of Jesus live with the hope of God’s future in their heart, their sense of inner peace will contrast sharply with people living without hope. It will be through the lives of fully-devoted followers of Jesus that the Holy Spirit “will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8).

The challenge of Jesus to his followers is to open our hearts and our lives to the Holy Spirit so that Jesus can live his life through us. This challenge is daunting because the persecution that confronted Jesus awaits his followers as well. However, Jesus has promised us that he will always be with us; nothing can separate us from him. We can do everything through Christ, who gives us strength. (Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:39, Philippians 4:13)

The Good News is that Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to us. Are you up to the challenge that comes with receiving the Spirit?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.