Strength beyond June 24

Unquestionably, since Jesus remains an everlasting reality and a stable companion in all things, we need to pay close attention and recognize the workings of the Holy Spirit he sent us.

        Scripture tells us the human Jesus had to go away but he would leave us a comforter [John 14:16;26]. The comforter is our guide and counselor. Jesus is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is Jesus. He is not only with us, among us, but within us as a welcome guest. He does not just mess up the guest room and leave either. He always treats it better than we have designed it. Pictures are always straight. The bed is always made. The carpet stays swept and clean. He does not overeat, burn too much electricity or interrupt with obnoxious motivations. His stay remains perfect.

        The challenge is: Do we let him roam the rest of our internal house? Do we just keep him in the guest room and only recognize or let him out when we need him? Ironically, while the Holy Spirit can do anything he wants, he will stay in the guest room until invited out. See, he is polite but wants desperately to intermingle with every part of our house. Is there a way to sustain him more actively in our lives?

        In a sense, our task is to allow His presence throughout our lives increasingly by feeding him, not leftovers but meals of the self. The more we choose other-centered opportunities, the more the Holy Spirit gets invited into life. Systematically, we ease out self-indulgence, self-benefit, self-goals. We design a primary practice of searching ways to fellowship with His plan for others. God’s word becomes the blueprint for constructing the accurate rooms of our house for God’s kingdom growth.

        What do the blueprints show us? Scripture, prayer, praise, and worship can thrive to allow the Holy Spirit access through our own house-body. A daily result can become the peace that truly passes all understanding because we can relax from anxiety and fear, be honest, knowing One greater than us is in control. I want the best carpenter building my house. Don’t you?

        Of course, we fail every day. We leave the wrong doors open. We bump into furniture we’ve moved to the wrong place. We burn the food we prepare for our guest. We stumble, we forget, we get distracted with daily problems by trying to solve issues with our natural resources and skills. But the wonderful good news is we can begin again. Our story does not end when we grant the wrong motivation to crowd out time spent with Holy Spirit. No matter what emotions we may feel, we can choose to give the Holy Spirit daily attention. We can just work hard at behaving as if Jesus is always with us. Take Him with you wherever and whenever you go. Put him in the front seat of the car, instead of the back. When you go to the grocery store, when you go for gasoline, when you go on vacation, look over and ask, “How are we doing Jesus?” He will actively ride along. [more]