Monday January 4, 2021

Today’s Reading: John 16:5-15

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.”

John 16:13

Reflection: The Work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Jesus teaches that by the Holy Spirit we would come to understand our fallenness from God, and our ultimate rejection of Him. We would see our failure to believe and trust in His character and ability in all situations. We would know our great need for a Savior to redeem us from this sin. By the Holy Spirit, we would come to understand Jesus’ Righteousness, His Perfection and His Oneness with the Father. We would realize the validity of all the claims He made on earth that He is God. We would see our need for Him and His Righteousness. Lastly, by the Holy Spirit, we would come to understand God’s impending Judgment upon all who have rejected Jesus for the ways of the world. We would understand that since the Ruler of this world, Satan, has already been judged by God, so will all who choose to abide by him. We would realize that the choice between our sin and our Savior would need to be made, and that our destination of either heaven or hell would result from it.

The Holy Spirit’s Ministry on earth causes us to reflect on what is important to God. The conviction of sin, the realization of Jesus’ Righteousness, and expectation of His Sovereign Judgment are all parts of the Gospel Truth that God longs for us to understand. This is because these things show us our need for Jesus and our ability to depend on Him for our Salvation. They also help us to see that our lives are eternal, and can either be spent with Jesus or without Him. The Holy Spirit’s Ministry on earth also causes us to think about what the ministry that God gives us should look like. If we are moved by the Holy Spirit, our work should reflect His Ministry. The actions we take which are inspired by the Holy Spirit should always be helping others to be convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment. How do the things you are doing for God align with the Ministry of the Work of the Holy Spirit?

Prayer: Holy and Righteous God, by Your Son and Your Spirit You have saved me, redeemed me, and convicted me of my great need for You. Thank You for Your great mercy to reveal this Truth to me. Thank You for Your care upon me which, because of Your Goodness, covers me throughout eternity. I give You all glory, honor, and praise. Please cause my work in the world to reveal Your Ministry. Help me to rely on and depend on Your Spirit to work through me, for I have neither the resources, strength, or ability to do it on my own. I pray all of these things in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com): John 16:4-33; 2 Chronicles 24; Psalm 81