Live In Me
by Barbie Lauer
Each of these devotional blogs entries is meant to be read on your own or if you have family or friends you live with, to be read together aloud. A suggestion is to do this after you have dinner around the table together. At the conclusion, please spend time in personal reflection or in sharing with one another your answers to the questions at the end. Be sure to conclude with prayer.
Read John 14:15-31
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Some dear friends of ours recently gifted us with a piano this January. It was the very same model on which I learned to play as a girl. I had forgotten how calming playing the piano can be, and little did I know that this springtime would give me some free time to really enjoy and become acquainted again. It has been comforting playing through our Nazarene hymnal these past few weeks. During the current slow down, I came across this oldie but goody. Just as in the past, this hymn also has such meaning and truth for us today during this crisis.
View the Present Through the Promise by Thomas H. Troeger
View the present through the promise, Christ will come again.
Trust despite the deepening darkness, Christ will come again.
Lift the world above its grieving through your watching and believing
In the hope past hope’s conceiving: Christ will come again.
Come Lord Jesus Come (x3)
And Live In Me
Probe the present with the promise, Christ will come again.
Let your daily actions witness, Christ will come again.
Let your loving and your giving and your justice and forgiving
Be a sign to all the living: Christ will come again.
Match the present to the promise, Christ will come again.
Make this hope your guiding premise, Christ will come again.
Pattern all your calculating and the world you are creating
To the advent you are waiting: Christ will come again.
“Live in me.” That is exactly what the Holy Spirit does for those who love Jesus and obey the Father”s commands. The Holy Spirit is a gift that never leaves you in the deepest darkness or in the sun-shiniest of days. He is a steady presence that leads you to all truth, and He will teach you everything and remind you everything the Father has said.
We have been praying how the Lord could use us during this time, to encourage others with hope as He brings them to mind. Just as the hymn sings “Lift the world above its grieving, through your watching and believing,” our Savior, through the Holy Spirit, wants us to be a peaceful presence. Verse 27 says “I am leaving you with a gift–peace of heart and mind. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” On top of it all, He is returning.
What type of peace does the world give? Positive thinking? Fleeting stability? A temporary need met? Trust in man, government, or oneself along with some deep breathing? Can the world even recognize anything else? Verse 17 reminds us that the world at large cannot receive Him because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you do, because He lives with you.
We want the peace that the Holy Spirit brings, not temporary, but everlasting. We need a Counselor that we can converse with that points us to the truth. We need true words, because even as Christian people, our thoughts can easily get redirected by our culture, the news, and the majority or masses. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the true words,:life, joy, and deep peace. We can probe the present with these promises.
Jesus tells us that we will live because He lives. One day we will also rise because He has risen. The Word says althought He left, He will be returning! The world may ignore, some may even mock, but others are watching you and opening up their hearts and ears to the Lord and these truths. May the Lord refresh us with the Holy Spirit, and may we be vessels to be used by Him.
Lets Pray:
Dear Lord, Thank you for sending Your Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us through each day. Spirit of the Living God fall fresh on us today. Thank You that we do not have to feel troubled or afraid just as Your word tells us. You are in control, and we trust You day by day. Just as You provided for Your people in the wilderness, giving them what they needed for each day, give us what we need just for today. Help us to be Your willing servant just like Your Son. We celebrate Jesus and His willingness to do everything You asked of Him, and we pray that You use us to be a steady presence to the world around us that needs You. We celebrate and remember all that You did on the Cross this week and look forward to celebrating Your Resurrection and Your return someday soon. Amen
Reflect with someone else or on your own:
- Do you trust the Lord and have you been Gifted a Counselor?
- How is the Holy Spirit guiding you during this pandemic?
- Are there any particular scripture (truths) the Spirit has reminded you of during this time?
- Do you believe He is coming again?
