Monday, July 18, 2011

July 18, 2011 … The Ministry of The Holy Spirit

Passage of the Day: 1st John 4: 13 … We know that we live in Him [Christ] and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

My Journal for Today: One of the clearest sign posts that true believers in Christ have which points to the assurance of their salvation is the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit, Who is sealed into the hearts of Christians when they (we) are converted at rebirth. Jesus, Himself, told His disciples of the coming “Helper” (see John 14: 26); and the Apostle Paul wrote of the convicting Agent of God in the hearts of all believers (see 1st Cor. 12: 3).

In his devotional book, Strength for Today, for this date, John MacArthur asks believers several poignant and pertinent questions …

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>>> Do you long for intimacy with God (Galatians 4: 6)?
>>> Do you feel compelled to praise God (Ephesians 5: 19)?
>>> Do you see God’s fruit growing in your life (Galatians 5: 22, 23)?
>>> Do you have God’s gift(s) operating in your life for God’s glory (1st Corinthians 12)?
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MacArthur is saying that if one is positive in answering these questions in the affirmative, we, as believers in Christ, can KNOW that God’s Spirit is illuminating and empowering our lives as truly born-again Christians. And I believe our assurance of salvation is positively correlated with the confidence we have in answering “YES” to the questions above. So, the stronger you can say “AMEN” to these questions, the more sure you are of your salvation.

As Paul also stated in Romans 8: 16, the Holy Spirit is for the Christian an ever bearing witness to our spirits that we are truly children of God. So, we should revel in this assurance and praise God for our salvation. I don’t know about one who might be reading this [maybe you!]; but I can speak for myself and I don’t praise God enough for taking me from the darkness of my past into His Light. I don’t thank and praise Him enough for choosing me before I chose Him. I don’t show my love for Him enough with my obedience to His word.

Well, do you think we ought to rectify that today with our praise?! Don’t you think we ought to make it right with God with our obedience to His commands and precepts?! I sure do!

And we can make it right - today and tomorrow - by living in and for Him. Let’s not talk about it … let’s do it!

My Prayer Today:
O, Holy Spirit, help me grow in my relationship with You. Amen

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