The Difference Maker.

The Edge. . . or perhaps your Advantage.

One thing is certain,

He will be the Difference Maker in your Life.  

Listen to this podcast here: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/279b69d0/the-difference...;

but first, a prayer~

God of my forefathers, I cry unto You.  

You have been the refuge of good and wise people in every generation. 

When history began, You were the first enlightener of minds...

Through all the ages You have been the Lord and giver of life,

the source of all knowledge, the fountain of all goodness.

 The patriarchs trusted You and were not put to shame:

 The prophets sought You and You committed 

Your word to their Lips:

 The psalmist(s) rejoiced in You and 

You were present in their song(s)... 1

Come now and reveal yourself to us. Amen.

Indeed the Holy Spirit is eternal, one of the three persons of the Trinity. He was active in the ancients, present from the dawn of Creation, hovering over the waters.2 

From the birth of the Hebrew nation-when God called Abraham, saying  "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing--"3 the Jewish people perceived the Spirit of God to be the creative and life-giving power of God.

The Holy Spirit equipped God's people to be faithful and remain faithful though driven from their land, while in exile, and enslaved. Look at the understanding of Elihu, one of Job's loyal friends who came on the scene toward the end of Job's trials, 

"The Spirit of God has made me and 

the breath of the Almighty gives me life."4 

The poetry of David captured this understanding, 

"All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time . . . When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."5

Special dispensations of Holy Spirit power were given to rest upon men and women of God like Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Samson, Deborah, Esther and David for work that God had for them to do. Prophets were given particular messages from God for specific peoples and times, and God empowered the prophets to deliver what were usually very difficult messages. Always, the Jewish people as a whole were aware of the mysterious presence of God around them, sustaining them, rescuing them, drawing them back to himself.  

The Holy Spirit has forever been a difference maker in the lives of men-even before he came to indwell believers-imparted after Jesus' ascension into Heaven. Besides the aforementioned, the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Old Testament, recorded of course in Hebrew, just as he did the writers of the New Testament - written in Greek, usually with Aramaic for dialogue.  

"For prophecy never had its origin in the human will,

 but prophets, though human, 

spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 6

And then came Jesus. If you hadn't noticed before, once Jesus came on the scene, everything changed - including our relationship with and understanding of the Holy Spirit. While Jesus was still with his main men, before he was arrested and crucified, he told them he would be leaving them, but - it would be better for them if he went, for he would send another. Consider John's rendering of Jesus' words: I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.7 And this from Jesus: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.8

Ah, so Jesus promised that he would send Another when he departed earth - Another who would not just be with us, but rather in us. And next we turn our attention to how we might realize the Holy Spirit of God within.

A closing prayer~ Eternal Father of my soul,

Let my first thought today be of You, 

let my first impulse be to worship You,

Let my first speech be Your name, 

let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer . . . 

I praise and worship You, O Lord!9

Holy Spirit, you are the difference maker. Teach me about Yourself, won't you?

Listen, please ~ one minute will make my point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2x8Rcwn4k

Christine

Holy Spirit #3

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1 - Excerpts from a Diary of Private Prayer, John Baillie, 1886-1960, "Fifth Morning"

2 - Genesis 1.1-2

3 - Genesis 12.2

4 - Job 33.4

5 - Psalm 104, 27.30  [Actually, this whole psalm of David is beautiful to meditate upon.]

6 - 2 Peter 1.21

7 - John 16.7

8 - John 14.16-17

9 - from Baillie's Diary of Private Prayer, "First Morning"