Holy Spirit

Then [the Spirit] said [to Ezekiel], "Son of man, get all these words that I'm giving you inside you. Listen to them obediently. Make them your own. And now go. Go to the exiles, your people, and speak. Tell them, 'This is the Message of GOD, the Master.' Speak your piece, whether they listen or not." Then the Spirit picked me up. Behind me I heard a great commotion — "Blessed be the Glory of GOD in his Sanctuary!"

—Ezekiel 3:10-12 MESSAGE

Key Thought


God is...

 

"Stand up, son of man," said the voice [of the Spirit to Ezekiel]. "I want to speak with you." The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. "Son of man," he said, "I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day."

—Ezekiel 2:1-3 NLT

Key Thought


Ezekiel had seen an amazing vision during a horrible...

 

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

—John 20:21-23 NIV

Key Thought


After Jesus' resurrection, he reminds his closest followers of three gifts he is leaving with them, all of which find their origin and functional power in the presence of the...

 

After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done ... complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

—John 19:30 MESSAGE

Key Thought


Jesus died because he allowed himself to die: "[H]e offered up his spirit." He had completed what God had called him to do! Can we do that? Can we accomplish what God wants to do through us? I believe with the help of the Holy Spirit we can (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). We can because one of the great promises we have is that the...

 

[Jesus said,] "All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.'"

—John 16:15 NLT

Key Thought


The source of our truth is God. His Spirit of truth will tell us everything he has received from the Son and make it clear to us. John talks about the Spirit as the anointing that teaches us all things about Jesus and helps us know truth from error (1 John 2:18-21). In this context, Jesus emphasized that...

 

[Jesus said,] "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you."

—John 16:12-14 MESSAGE

Key Thought


I love packages that...

 

[Jesus said,] "So let me say it again, this truth: It's better for you that I leave. If I don't leave, the Friend won't come. But if I go, I'll send him to you."

—John 16:7 MESSAGE

Key Thought


Many of us have often longed to have been alive and seen Jesus as he ministered and taught while on earth. Yet Jesus is emphatic: It is better for us that he has gone to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit as our Friend and Guide. We have Jesus' life and teachings to guide...

 

[Jesus said,] "When the Friend I plan to send you from the Father comes — the Spirit of Truth issuing from the Father — he will confirm everything about me."

—John 15:26 MESSAGE

Key Thought


I have always been amazed at how Jesus uses the last few hours of his life to prepare his followers for their ordeal as he faces the cross, their wonder in his resurrection, and their amazement at his ascension. There is so much happening in a relatively short time, and it is...

 

[Jesus said,] "I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left — feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught."

—John 14:25-27 MESSAGE

Key Thought


I hate...

 

[Jesus said,] "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life."

—John 6:63 NIV

Key Thought


The apostle Paul said essentially the same thing as in today's verse when he wrote, "I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him ..."...