Today’s Verse

John 16:13

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” (NIV)

So, on a recent weekend, I wasn’t much fun to be around. I was mildly miserable, fairly unhelpful, and downright cranky. I missed opportunities to be sweet and supportive of my wife. I was at odds with one of my kids over the dumbest things. I was a net negative at worst, and neutral at best for the entire weekend!

But when the Spirit of Truth came into my life at my baptism many years ago, I gained a guide that doesn’t let me stay in this operating mode. The Spirit brought conviction to my negative attitude and actions. As much as I don’t like being confronted and told the truth, the Holy Spirit made it clear that I needed to change. Jesus promised us this great gift before He left the earth, and He delivered on that promise as recorded in the first chapters of the book of Acts.

Jesus, The Wonderful Counselor, left His followers with a live-in counselor in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwelling in believers is an unbelievable gift. When we have given our lives to Jesus, been baptized, and are walking in Him, His presence works on His behalf in the core of our beings. So, when we have a sense that something is off, it’s a gift from God to evaluate what’s off. When this happens, we examine God’s Word and respond to correct what’s wrong. A good counselor lets us be ourselves in their presence, but the great ones don’t want to leave us that way. They want us to be all that we can be in Jesus’s love and grace.

This Christmas, resolve to confront your issues. Do you have a lingering bitterness toward a family member that needs to be resolved? Do you have an entitled streak running through your life that needs to end? Do you have an unspoken list of demands that, if not met by those around you, will cause you to erupt or implode? Is there a grumpiness born of unmet needs you need to confront and, by God’s grace, deal with? If you are like me, the Spirit works overtime to help you become more like Jesus. 

While this may be uncomfortable to consider, the reality is that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us and fully capable of guiding us into truth and a better way of life.

REFLECTION

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into His Word and Truth so that you can surrender that sin in your life once again. If need be, invite a friend to pray with you about this and hold you accountable for taking wise steps to correct this.