08-13-24-DAILY READING-ENG.

EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT

                                        WIND IN THE SAILS

To get a picture of the Spirit, consider the image of a sailing ship. The sailors make sure everything's ready to go. The decks are swabbed, the trim freshly painted, and the galley stocked with food for the voyage. The anchor's up, the ropes are in, the sails are raised, and the captain's at the helm. But the ship doesn't move. Why? Because the sails need wind to propel the ship forward. You can prepare everything in your life to go forward with God, but without the wind of the Spirit, there's no movement. On a sailing ship you're at the mercy of nature and the necessary wind to move; in life, you're at the mercy of God and the Spirit's power. Without that power, we can't follow God and experience life to its fullest. Interestingly, the Greek and Hebrew words for Spirit {pneuma and ruah) can both be translated as “wind” or “breath.” Unless the wind of the Spirit blows, you'll drift aimlessly along on the currents of life. Even after you've done everything you know to connect with God, it's all in vain without action on His part. With this in mind, can you understand why “blasphemy against the Spirit” is so serious? Look at the amazing and even terrifying statement about this from Jesus: Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32) Why would Jesus make such a statement? Why is it more dangerous to speak against the Holy Spirit than to speak against the Son of Man, Jesus Himself? Simply this: the Holy Spirit is the only one who moves upon a person to bring conviction of sin and the desire to be in a right relationship with God. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “When He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Without this work of the Spirit, you're incapable of responding to God. So the Holy Spirit is not to be ignored or taken for granted. He's not to be cast aside as insignificant in comparison to God the Father and God the Son. The Spirit of God is essential to your life and to your relationship with the entire Godhead. He's the illuminator of all spiritual truth and the doorway into the divine. He takes that which is unknown to fallen humanity and makes it a clear and unmistakable reality in our lives.