The idea of abiding in the Holy Spirit is unappealing early in life. When asked ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ the response is never ‘I want to abide in the Holy Spirit.’ Furthermore, the behavior modeled by some Christians was that spiritual growth should be pursued only after living and thoroughly enjoying life on your own terms.
Rather than a spiritual retirement of self after living as you want, what if the approach was different? What if we first considered the benefits as to why abiding in the Holy Spirit is a good idea, one worth pursuing as early in life as possible, rather than a last resort?
One who chose to abide in the Holy Spirit early in life was Jesus.
It was a gigantic leap for Jesus to encase divinity with the flesh of humanity. A massive risk. Being born on this planet meant He was gifted with the power of choice. Jesus was also exposed to something that was unnatural to Him—sin. Yet, He conquered each temptation to do wrong.
The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism and stayed with Him. Nothing about Jesus’ actions ever offended the Spirit nor risked separation from Him. He didn’t have to worry whether or not the Holy Spirit was present.
Though we are not sinless as Jesus was, we still have hope. If we’ve done something to create a rift between ourselves and God, we can ask for forgiveness. The death and resurrection of Jesus mean we can have forgiveness and redemption. Jesus was the ultimate sacrificial lamb who not only atoned for us and our sins but changed the course of religious history and personal spirituality forever.
At the moment Jesus died, the veil in the Temple ripped from top to bottom. From the top—where no human hands could reach to tamper with it. This divine symbol shows that God has removed barriers allowing us access to Him directly. We are free to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. And if we’re feeling distant or unsure, we can ask again and again. Because the Spirit wants to be with us, to help us and to guide us.
This weekend is Easter, a time when we remember Christ’s sacrifice for us. A rough final week of His life ended with His brutal death. His body rested on Sabbath, in a cold, dark tomb. Then early Sunday morning, He got up!
We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, the Lamb. His resurrection encourages us to look forward to a Heavenly future. In the meantime, let us choose to abide in the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, we will find strength, perseverance, and the push to keep trusting God.
______
by Sabrina Jacques-Rowe
Henderson Highway Church Communications Director
______
At the start of each year, the church participates in 10 Days of Prayer. This article concludes the exploration of the 2020 series, “Seeking God’s Spirit”. See other articles in this series here.