Wednesday, August 31

1 John 2:6

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Hebrews 9:14

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Romans 8:11

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Reflection

You can walk, live, serve, and love as Jesus did, but not through your own strength and effort. You can only move towards perfection in Jesus’ love through the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

· What frustrations or obstacles are keeping you from growing in Christ-likeness?

· How do those obstacles reflect your own efforts instead of reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit?

Tuesday, August 30

John 14:15-19

If you love me, keep my [Jesus’] commands.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Reflection

Shortly before Jesus’ death, he spoke these words to his disciples to provide comfort to his friends. Jesus knew he would not be with them much longer and he wanted them to know about the Holy Spirit that would be sent to them.

· How does knowing the Holy Spirit “lives with you and will be in you” impact your personal understanding and experience of God?

· How are you experiencing the Holy Spirit in your life?

Monday, August 29

Genesis 1:2

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Reflection

The Holy Spirit is part of the trinity, he was there at creation, and intervened throughout the Old Testament to point people to God. The Holy Spirit facilitates salvation by pointing us towards Jesus and produces transformation as he moves us towards God’s will.

· How has the Holy Spirit pointed you toward God or salvation through Jesus?

· How has the Holy Spirit changed you since you first encountered God?

August 28 - September 3

The Holy Spirit

John 3:8, John 14: 15-19,

John 16: 8-13

Living the Truth About … The Holy Spirit

John 3:8 says “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

While we cannot see or touch the Holy Spirit, we can experience evidence of the Holy Spirit through three types of grace:

· God preparing us

· God saving us

· God perfecting us

First, God prepares us by softening our heart and opening our eyes to his love and grace. Then, we can experience God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And finally, as the Holy Spirit perseveres and continues to shape our understanding of discipleship and what it means to follow Jesus; God transforms us by moving us toward perfection in love.

This week, we hope you can reflect on your story and experience of the Holy Spirit at work in your life in these ways.

Saturday, August 27

Galatians 2:20-21

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Reflection

So the question now becomes:  now that we know the truth about Jesus, how can we live that out in our everyday 24x7 lives?  The short answer is in this passage of Scripture from Galatians.  As Paul says, he was crucified with Christ.  In other words, as Christ was crucified for the sins of the world, Paul died with Christ.  Paul’s old self is now dead as he accepted God’s free gift of grace.  As Paul’s old self died, Paul says that Christ now lives in him.  The life that Paul lives, in short loving God and loving neighbor, is done by Christ living in him.

So we can live the truth about Jesus ... in faith, accepting what Jesus has done for us, dying to the old ways of doing things, and letting Christ live in us and live through us.  Whatever we do that is good, how we love God and love neighbor, comes by letting Christ live in and through us.

Think about ways you can let this happen in your life in the days and weeks to come.

Friday, August 26

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Reflection

Why did God do all of this?  Love!

Can you believe that God loves you so much that He would come to earth as a human, give up all of His godliness, humble Himself to even death on the cross so that your relationship with Him can be restored?

Our God is amazing!

Do you believe it?