March 27, 2002

RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth" (John 14:15-17, NKJV).

Jesus continued to share information about the 'Spirit of truth', "whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:17-18). Jesus implies here that His presence is embodied in the "Spirit of truth."

He continues, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him... If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me... But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:21, 23, 24, 26, 27).

The promise to those who love the Lord is that He will send His "Helper" to dwell with them "forever". Jesus and the Father will make Their home with us. God Himself will be our Teacher (John 14:26), by way of His Helper. We will know the truth and the truth will set us free (John 8:32). We may receive the very character of God exemplified in our lives by the fruits that the Holy Spirit will share with us such as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:23). These are gifts granted to us by God through the indwelling of His Helper.

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word... He who does not love Me does not keep My words" (John 14:23, 24). The promise is to those who love the Lord and want Him to come and dwell with them. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born --of God" (John 1:12, 13).