SATURDAY 23RD JAN., 2016

TOPIC: THE HOLY SPIRIT (1)
TEXT: John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Life comes with surprises. Some of them you welcome, and others you don’t. One season you take a trip to the beach, next the beach is covered with oil or ice. One month your stocks are soaring and your investments are growing, then suddenly it all comes crashing down. Mean while, the ‘brains’ you thought were running the system sit at a congressional hearing and say, ‘We just never anticipated this. ‘ In those rare seasons when you think the world has settled down, watch out! A malignant cell shows up in a colon, or a tornado rips through a neighbourhood flattening a Community. So what are you going to do? When Jesus told His disciples He was leaving them, they were in panic mode, so He said to them, ‘…When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I’m leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the Peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid’ (W. 26-27). You need to recognise the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives within you, and build a relationship with Him. He’s not an ‘it’ or a ‘thing’ or an ethereal spirit that’s beyond your reach. He is Christ’s ‘representative’. He’s willing to teach you what you don’t know, and to remind you of the things you so easily forget. Best of all, He will give you ‘peace of mind and a godly heart’ regardless of what life throws at you. — God hath called us to peace. A gift- peace that is beyond human understanding and only those who know Christ are able to believe and receive it. He is your STANDBY and Your ASSISTANT over things you can not do. Have you been unknowingly experiencing His absence in your daily walk with God and people? Start using this Gift that you and I did not qualify for; He does everything humanly and otherwise.

MEDITATION: Rom. 5:1

STUDY THE BIBLE
LK 18:1-17/GEN 29:31—30:1-43/Ps 23