Needs Met

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11.13

Easter is not done in a day! You may be back to work and feeling as if you have sailed down stream from the greatest religious festival of the year but do not forget that we are now progressing down the river that flows directly to Pentecost and the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is the season of the Holy Spirit - a time of education, expectation and preparation for God’s renewing work. We have fifty days of celebration in front of us from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is the high point from which all flows because His death and resurrection are the basis of our salvation. Hallelujah! Pentecost is God’s gift of power to live the resurrected life. As Billy Graham stated, “Our two greatest needs were met at Calvary and Pentecost – forgiveness and goodness”.

The gospel is a gigantic love story. God both meets our inner longing for forgiveness and our desire to live a life worthy of our calling. So we see that our second greatest need is not hidden and the supply not withheld. Because we live post-Pentecost we are not waiting for the Holy Spirit to come, He is waiting for us to implore His participation in our lives, our churches, and our communities. Dear Christian, this gift is for you to enjoy with ever increasing richness. You may have been a disciple for many years but you have never hungered for a deeper filling of God’s Spirit. By “filling” I mean allowing God to consume you with His presence – to overshadow you with His love. How can I receive this gift? Jesus tells us we must ask. We cannot just tell God we are “open to a filling”, we must understand God’s desire and then ask, seek and knock.  The Spirit does not want to be “lodger” with you, but rather the “Proprietor” of your life.

This season of Easter is a good time to welcome the Holy Spirit more fully into your life and receive His power to become a more winsome witness of God’s love and power. In granting the Spirit’s presence in our lives God is giving Himself. Oh, what a treasure is God’s plan for our lives!