Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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The Holy Spirit Who Renews Everything
Joel 2: 28-32
Vs.28 "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh”
Holy Spirit is the essence of Biblical Themes, although different individuals and different Church groups refer to it with varying perspectives, and differing definitions. But our great Creator expects His spirit to be filled in and fruitfully reflected via every living human body. Although we see mentions about Holy Spirit in the New Testament, in the Gospels as well as in the letters by Paul, Old Testament starts with the Spirit of God - hovering over the waters (Genesis 1: 1-2), followed by many other mentions. So, we realize the fact that Holy Spirit is of prime importance in the life of a person who follows and practices the teachings of the Holy Bible. Holy Spirit is the master guide who keenly leads a Christian through all phases of life.

In Joel 2: 28, God mentioned inclusivity of the people of Israel: the sons and daughters, the old, and the young – meaning every living soul. Here God is clearly opening a path for all believers to relate to the Holy God, personally, without a mediator. This may sound different from certain Church group’s view of ‘Holy Spirit’, where individuals assume they are filled with Holy Spirit when they are in the presence of their Churchmates and also in the midst of loud music and Halleluiahs. This may lead to passive forgetting of the creative and redemptive aspects of God’s Holy Spirit in our daily lives – especially outside the Church settings.

When you read Ephesians Chapter 4, Paul clearly mentions specific living aspects, which are expected of a true Christian. In the Church today, we are seeing a renewed emphasis on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. As mentioned in a few places in the Bible, Holy Spirit brings order in the midst of chaos, peace in the midst of troubles and sorrows, and light in the midst of darkness. In other words, once the Holy Spirit lives and works in an individual, it is a wholesome renewal – everything within and outside.

Wherever the Holy Spirit is truly at work, we see order and discipline in our lives being conformed to the image of Christ, whose whole life was directed towards the goal of pleasing God. Such fruitful endings result from a true Biblical emphasis on the person and work of the Spirit. Holy Spirit is almost like a high-power, high-memory computer, which can handle multiple windows, and multiple programs at the same time, without confusion
PRAYER
O God, our Creator, help us to let the Holy Spirit dwell in us forever and let us be renewed. Help us to change ourselves and others that we come in contact with. Amen.
Thought for the day
Action of the Holy Spirit is like restarting and reimaging a computer that went haywire, resetting one’s thought processes and actions.

Dr. Eapen Daniel,
Christos MTC, Philadelphia

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