May 21 I Monday

1 Chronicles 13-15

John 7:1-27

“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 14:26

Because the Holy Spirit is a person, not a force, He interacts with us in ways similar to how we interact with each other. He is able to think, decide and feel. He knows the mind of God and uses that mind to reveal to us who God is.

One way the Holy Spirit exercises His will is by choosing how to distribute spiritual gifts in order to expand God’s kingdom and bring blessing to others. We have no right to insist on one gift over another, but must recognize the Spirit’s freedom to give as He determines. He is the dynamic in carrying out the will of God both in our lives and corporately within the Church.

The Holy Spirit also experiences both positive and negative emotions. When Paul asked the Roman believers to join in praying for him, he appealed to “the love of the Spirit” (Romans 15:30). In Ephesians 4:30, Paul warns us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit,” which means He can experience sadness and hurt. He is grieved when we lie to Him or choose to disobey His will. Scottish minister George B. Duncan says, “We grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to allow Him to do in us that for which He was given to us.” We can even insult the Holy Spirit. The book of Hebrews talks about the deserving punishment of someone who tramples the Son of God under foot, “and who has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). The Spirit is not an object that can be desecrated and damaged but a person who can be insulted and grieved.

The Holy Spirit also exhibits authority. He commands His people and appoints godly men and women to leadership roles, choosing those who are aligned with God and will work with Him to implement His plans. The Holy Spirit is a communicator. He speaks, teaches and guides so we might know God’s ways and His truth. He also communicates with the Father on our behalf. Romans 8:26-27 explains, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

We can relate to Jesus because He became one of us, but the Holy Spirit is also a person, which is how we must regard Him. There will always be aspects of the Spirit that make Him a mystery, but as part of the triune Godhead, co-equal with the Father and the Son, we can trust Him to work the will of God in our lives.

Prayer: Precious Lord, thank you for the intimacy I can have with Your Spirit and for the many ways He teaches, guides and corrects. Make known to me where I have grieved Him, and forgive me. Thank You, God.