The Promise of the Holy Spirit

John 14 New International Version

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵“If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[c] in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Image result for the promise of the holy spirit

²²Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵“All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

²⁸“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. ³⁰I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, ³¹but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on Thee.

The darkness is no darkness with Thee,

But the light is as clear as day.

The darkness and the light

To Thee are both alike.

God is light,

And in Him is no darkness at all.

O let my soul live,

And it shall praise thee,

For Thine is the kingdom, the power,

And the glory for evermore.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on Thee.

Hope

Philippians 1:19-26 New International Version

¹⁹for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.^[a] ²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²²If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!²³I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ,which is better by far; ²⁴but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Here we have a very interesting passage where Paul is wrestling with the decision between life and death and although he knew he would be better with Christ in the end he remained on earth.

“I Look To You”

As I lay me down,
Heaven hear me now.
I’m lost without a cause
After giving it my all.

Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun.
After all that I’ve been through
Who on earth can I turn to?

I look to you.
I look to you.
After all my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear a song.
I look to you.

About to lose my breath,
There’s no more fighting left,
Sinking to rise no more,
Searching for that open door.

And every road that I’ve taken
Led to my regret.
And I don’t know if I’m going to make it.
Nothing to do but lift my head

I look to you.
I look to you.
And when all my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear a song.
I look to you.

My levees are broken
My walls have come
Tumbling down on me

The rain is falling.
Defeat is calling.
I need you to set me free.

Take me far away from the battle.
I need you.
Shine on me.

I look to you.
I look to you.
After all my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear a song.
I look to you.

Chorus of the week

Come Holy Spirit

Albert W. T. Orsborn, affectionately known as “the poet general,” was the sixth leader (general) of The Salvation Army. His leadership spanned the aftermath of World War II (1946-1954), and he played a pivotal role in the organization’s becoming a founding member of the World Council of Churches in 1948 ¹.

Orsborn was not only a leader but also a prolific poet and hymn writer. One of his best-known hymns is “My Life Must Be Christ’s Broken Bread.” His poetic expressions often reflected deep spiritual themes and a desire for holiness.

As for the specific hymn “Come, Holy Spirit, and Abide with Me,” I apologize, but I couldn’t find detailed information about its origins or the story behind it. However, it’s a beautiful prayer that invites the Holy Spirit to dwell with us.

Music by Edward Elgar 1857 – 1934

Following the Lord

Luke 18 New International Version

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

¹⁸A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’^[a]”

²¹“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²³When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. ²⁴Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

²⁸Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

²⁹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Peace in our time

Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5 New International Version

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Most of us will have a difficult family member who basically causes trouble with everyone else in the family, Some of us may get to the point where children fall out with parents or the other way around.

It could be something else like an overpowering mother in law who though she is loved by all immediate family seems to want to take control of literally everything

Making peace

The Important thing to remember is we have to remain patient and wait God’s time in times like these. We have also got to bare in mind that reconciliation works both ways

The right direction

Proverbs 4 New International Version

¹⁰Listen, my son, accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.
¹¹I instruct you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.
¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.
¹³Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.
¹⁴Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶For they cannot rest until they do evil;
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.

I suppose you could call this a follow up on yesterdays blog ‘Seeking Wisdom’. You see if we follow God he will keep us on the straight and narrow as the saying goes.

We are also advised to avoid ‘The wicked’ and everything they do or take part in.

I always read through my bible readings when preparing the blog ad when I read this one I was reminded of the song/hymn ‘The Pathway of Duty ‘

Pathway of Duty

There’s a path that’s sometimes thorny,

There’s a narrow way, and straight;

It is called the path of duty,

And it leads to Heaven’s gate.

While we tread this path of duty,

We will find our needs supplied

From the river of God’s mercy

That is flowing close beside.

By the pathway of duty

Flows the river of God’s grace.

By the pathway of duty

Flows the river of God’s grace.

‘Tis a blessed way and holy,

‘Tis a path of peace and joy;

Though sometimes the way be stony

And the cares of life annoy.

But this path that we call duty

Is the way the Master trod,

And the smile of love and beauty

Lights the way that leads to God.

Let us walk this path of duty

With our faces to the sun,

Carry all our burdens gladly,

Finish well what we’ve begun.

From the river of God’s mercy

That is flowing by the way,

We may drink and find refreshing

For the burdens of the day.

A Quiet place

2 Corinthians 7; 5

For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

We all need to find a quiet place from time to time to get away from the turmoil’s and conflicts of daily life. This can be easier said than done sometimes (especially if you have a busy life). Some people find it easy first thing in the morning before they go about there daily tasks where as others like myself may find it easier last thing at night when going to bed to have that quiet moment & reflect.