Reading Plan:
John 16

Our Thoughts:
In John 16:7-8, Jesus tells His disciples, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate [Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." Though these few words were confusing to Jesus' friends at the time, these words give us insight into the role the Holy Spirit has in our world and personal lives.
If you go all the way back to the beginning of the Old Testament, you will find the Hebrew word ruakh, which means the Spirit of God. Ruakh is also the same word for the energy produced by wind or breath. Just like wind and breath are invisible, God's spirit is invisible; just like the wind is powerful, God's spirit is powerful. And just like breath gives life to all things, God's spirit brings life to all things.
Now, if we go back to Genesis 1, we see God'sRuakhcome and go. For instance, God's spirit comes to Joseph in a dream and reveals God's plan for his life. We also see God's spirit empower the prophets to see the world through God's eyes and to understand how His spirit will come in the future to bring hope and life to a hopeless and dying world.
This continues to take place at Jesus' baptism where the Spirit of God rests on Him. From there, Jesus begins his ministry by turning water into wine, healing the hurt, raising the dead, etc. Basically, things that were lifeless are now brought to life through God's spirit at work in Jesus.
When Jesus returns to His disciples after His death, he shares God's spirit with them, enabling them to fulfill God's calling on their lives to accomplish the Great Commission. That same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit at work in our lives today.
That is the promise that Jesus makes to His disciples, and ultimately to us, in John 16.

More Questions:
Where do you see the need for God's spirit to work through you?
How can you allow God's spirit to work through you today?


Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for offering us fresh wind. We are thankful for your presence in our lives and we are thankful for the presence of heaven that you gift us with. I know that your spirit brings life to those that it encounters. So, Father, I humbly ask for your spirit to be released through me today. In Jesus name, Amen!

Author: Tyler Eggers