The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The Holy Spirit is God's abiding gift, God's seal, our anointing, and our promise of future glory.* The Spirit is our assurance that what God began with Jesus' sacrificial death and our participation in it through faith and baptism, he will bring to completion at Jesus' return. But the world cannot understand this great promise, just like it cannot understand much of Scripture. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit, their eyes only see what they can touch with their fingers and cannot fully see what is true in God's heart and what God has revealed in his Word.
* The things said about the Holy Spirit come through clear statements in the Scriptures from places like
John 14:18-23;
Romans 8:9-39;
Titus 3:3-7;
2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13; and
1 John 2:20,
26-27.
Father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I thank you for sending the Spirit. Spirit, I thank you for never leaving me alone. As I am filled with the Spirit, O Lord, so fill me more and more until my will and my life more perfectly reflect your desires and character, just as they were expressed in Jesus. Use me to bless others just as your presence now blesses me. Thank you, Jesus, for pouring out your Spirit upon us. Now, please motivate us to share your gifts of salvation and the Spirit with others so they can know the incredible plans you have for us! In your name, I pray. Amen.
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