It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to become Christlike people

By Editor | June 27, 2012 |

Many parents have tried to teach their children an attitude of gratitude by teaching them to say “thank you” whenever they receive a gift or a compliment. Some adults always make an affirmative response when they receive a gift or compliment.

Have you developed a habit of making an appropriate response to receiving a gift or some act of kindness from others?
And how do you respond to God’s great gifts? Life itself is a gift from God. How have you responded to God’s gift of his son, who came to be our savior? If you have received Christ Jesus as your savior, how have you responded to God’s gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit? We are told in the Bible that it is possible to receive this priceless gift and not even know it.
The Holy Spirit, this divine comforter, counselor and helper, is within us to work the work of God in our hearts. It is with the guidance, energy and assistance of the Holy Spirit that we, as his disciples, are able to become Christlike in our character and our conduct. And this is possible when we make a proper response to the Holy Spirit.
Some people have a tendency to confine God to the past. They think of God as living in the ancient long ago, when the Bible was being written. It is a sad mistake to think of God as some kind of antique, and therefore to relegate God to ancient history.
Others make the mistake of confining God to the future. They think of God as being concerned only about the soul and its safety in heaven. But God is also the God of the living. He is the God of the here and now! And by means of his Holy Spirit, he wants to speak to us now … today!
In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, there is a recurring refrain: “You would not listen” or “They would not listen.” Some people refuse to listen, because they are too occupied with their own pursuits. Others refuse to listen, because they disagree, and their disagreement hinders them from really hearing.
But the fact remains, the Holy Spirit still speaks to us today through the scriptures, through the words of spiritual hymns, through pastors and teachers, through Christian literature, through the church and through the events of our lives. Are you listening? Are you “tuned in” to hear what God has to say to you with the “still, small voice” of his indwelling Holy Spirit?
Have you ever turned off the alarm on your clock, morning after morning, so often that you now turn it off without being aware that the alarm has sounded? It is possible that you might also have turned off that still small voice of the Holy Spirit without being aware that he has spoken to you?
Do not harden your heart by refusing to listen when God seeks to speak to you. Do not harden your heart by making excuses for yourself and by blaming others when things go wrong in your life. Instead, seek to hear God’s Holy Spirit. Rejoice in the creative and benevolent purpose of the indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has come to enable us to be all that God intends for us to be.
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “God’s spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.” He has come to reproduce within us the spirit and character of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit calls you to God by the great needs in your life. The Holy Spirit invites you to come to Jesus by virtue of your need for forgiveness. And the Holy Spirit calls you to Christ by your potential for helpfulness to others and your responsibility to be helpful to others. He calls you by virtue of the fact that you are on your way to eternity, and you need to be ready. God wants to forgive your sins and give you the gift of eternal life.
If you have not yet received Jesus into your life, I pray that you will do it today. If you have already received Christ Jesus into your life, use this day to recommit your life to Christ Jesus and to God, our heavenly father. Use this day to respond positively to the gift of the Holy Spirit!