Living in the Spirit

June 12, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 16:12-15

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The Spirit takes what is Christ’s and declares it to us. How do we receive what is declared? How deep are the filters we have developed that strain or even stop the flow of love and truth sent to us by Christ through the Spirit? Recently, we experienced torrential rains for several days in a row saturating the earth and filling all the drainage gutters. I watch one young man on TV using a metal pole to push the litter blocking the drainage gutters to stop flooding. We need to commune with God to help clear our hearts and minds of the cultural filters that clutter our receiving the Spirit’s message. How do we discern truth in a world plagued by distractions trying to keep us from dealing with the things God needs us to do? If God is love and if the most important commandments are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves, then any messages with which we are being bombarded must be measured for worth by passing the test of love.

Prayer: Lord, clear our filters so that we may follow you more nearly. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.