August 7 I Friday

Psalms 72-73

Romans 9:1-15

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”   —John 14:25-26

During the Last Supper, Jesus establishes a new covenant, a new way of relating to God, a new teaching and a whole new kingdom. The old covenant was based on the law and it revealed to us our inability, but the new covenant is based on His love and it reveals to us His ability. At the heart of this new covenant is God’s love, as John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God invites us into a love-based relationship, not one driven or motivated by fear. Rather, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, where it puts us onto a path of encountering Christ and understanding who God is. Paul describes this love-based relationship in his letter to the Galatians: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love of the Lord is the fulfilment of it.

As we embrace Christ, yielding to His love expressed towards us on the cross, Jesus tells us, “Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them….Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them” (John 14:21, 23). As we embrace Jesus and His commands, God embraces us.

Jesus reveals to us God’s response when we love Him and keep His commands: “If you love Me, keep My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you for ever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15-17). The Greek word for “another Advocate” is állos parakletos, where állos means “one of the same kind,” not “a different kind” and parakletos means “advisor, legal advocate, comforter, mediator or intercessor.”

We are given the Spirit of truth, the Counsellor, the Comforter, which is the same kind as the Father and as the Son. The Spirit is the third-person of the Trinity and He will direct our decisions, counsel us continually, and remain with us forever. As we fear the Lord and obey His commands out of love, He gives us His love––His Spirit––to be with us.

Prayer: Dear Great God, thank You for sending us another Advocate, one that is like You and Your Son. May my life reflect Your Spirit living in me. Amen!