Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit Archives

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (9)

By Andrew YoungAugust 9, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) Bible Reading: Romans 8: 12-17 In what follows, I want to bring to a close this “series within a series” looking particularly at the influences of the Holy Spirit. I have digressed intentionally from the larger study of the gift of the Holy Spirit to share my own thoughts and convictions on a little-discussed subject – the ways in which the Holy Spirit affects our human nature in the course of his ordinary work within us. I appreciate that in doing so I have laid […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (8)

By Andrew YoungAugust 8, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire…” (1 Thessalonians 5:19, NIV) Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 I mentioned in a previous devotional that Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would influence their minds in a number of ways. He would teach them, leading them into a deeper understanding of the truth; he would help them recall things they had previously heard; and he would give them words to speak when they were on trial for his name’s sake (John 14:26; Matthew 10:19, 20). We have looked in some depth at the teaching ministry of the Spirit; let’s explore […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (7)

By Andrew YoungAugust 7, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me…” (Job 32: 18) Bible Reading: Job 32:15-22 Let me write a little more about my experience in preparing to preach on 1 Peter 5:1-4 which I shared in the previous devotional. I highlighted then the radical difference between an early reading of the passage and the light and stimulus that I gained upon studying it more closely later. I attributed this not simply to the closer attention I paid to the passage, but to the co-working of the Holy Spirit, teaching me how this passage could be […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (6)

By Andrew YoungAugust 6, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“I exhort the elders among you… shepherd the flock of God that is among you…” (1 Peter 5:1, 2) Bible Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-4 If nothing else, attempting to preach over the last 40 years has convinced me that the Holy Spirit continues to influence our minds today, enabling us to see what God is saying to us in his Word as it relates to our faith and obedience. From the earliest of these efforts, I have been painfully aware of the radical difference between merely understanding the meaning of a Bible passage “scientifically” (that is, as the fruit of […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (5)

By Andrew YoungAugust 5, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“The man without the Spirit cannot accept the things that come from the Spirit of God…” (1 Corinthians 2:14) Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 In this devotional, we turn to the vexed issue of whether or not the influences of the Spirit upon our minds was something limited to the apostles. There is no question that when they were writing and speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that their minds were being influenced (1 Corinthians 2: 13). But was that influence limited only to them, without any counterpart in the ongoing experience of Christians? Again, I have to […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (4)

By Andrew YoungAugust 4, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45) Bible Reading: Luke 24:36-49 In the last three devotionals, I have drawn attention to ways in which the Holy Spirit’s workings (influences) within us show themselves in the well-known “fruit of the Spirit.” I have pointed out that these not only define the kinds of things the Holy Spirit produces within us, but also argued that there is often a distinctive character about those “fruit” when they are the outflow of the Spirit in our lives. The love, joy and peace that we experience are in fact […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (3)

By Andrew YoungAugust 3, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts…” Philippians 4:7 Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:14-19; Psalm 4:7-8 The love, joy and peace we can experience as a result of the Holy Spirit’s influence are, we have noticed, often connected with a different cause or source than the common human experience of these things. But can we go further and say that there is also often a different quality about them when they are the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work within us? I believe we can. I cannot but think of the love I felt […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (2)

By Andrew YoungAugust 2, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“My soul glorifies in the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…” Luke 1:46, 47 Bible Reading: Luke 1:46-56 The Holy Spirit does not replace our humanness, but he empowers and renews it. We can tell whether we are being influenced by the sinful nature or the Spirit by clearly different behaviours and desires. These things are basic to understanding how the Holy Spirit influences us. But can we go further than that? We noted last time that the “fruit” of the Spirit working within us shows itself in such qualities as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and […]

The Influences of the Holy Spirit (1)

By Andrew YoungAugust 1, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…” (Galatians 5:22) Bible Reading: Galatians 5:16-26 In January 2011, while on a retreat in Fairlie, the town of my early boyhood and youth, I devoted a day to capturing on paper my thoughts on what it means to live in Christ. The second part of that exercise involved writing about the ways the Holy Spirit influences us, the theme that emerged in our previous devotional. Conscious of both the mysterious and controversial nature of this subject, I wrote with care and caution. At the same time, I wrote freely, never supposing […]

Sharing in Christ’s Life

By Andrew YoungJuly 31, 2017Devotionals: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“This close relationship is made possible by the fact that Christ shares himself with the believer through the Spirit.” Herman Bavinck Bible Reading: John 15:1-7 I shall never forget the thrill I experienced many years ago when I read this simple statement: “Jesus not only gave himself for us; he also gave himself to us.” Bavinck says much the same thing when speaks of Christ “sharing himself with the believer through the Holy Spirit.” This has its roots, as we have seen, in the Spirit being “given” to Christ upon his return to the Father in heaven. Christ so came […]