His Presence Within

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

HIS PRESENCE WITHIN

1 Cor 12:1-3

12:1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

NIV

Is there any question about how our language surely does change once we have been born again? Surely before we were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit we being led astray. Surely we spoke words which should never come from the mouth of one who has been created by God, but yet those people who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior do in fact curse His name. In fact they even use the name of Jesus Christ in a profane way. It is also clear that the words, “Jesus is Lord” has never crossed their tongues, for it cannot as they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. But we can say “Jesus is Lord” for we are filled with the Holy Spirit and He gives those words to us deep within our being. It was the Holy Spirit who first came to us and convicted us of our need to repent and accept Jesus as our Lord. It was the Holy Spirit who spoke to our hearts and minds about how we needed Jesus, how we were lost in sin and that death was our end, not just physical but spiritual. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed the truth about God the Father and Jesus and the plan for our salvation, our redemption, that God was going to save us from death and give us eternal life instead through His son, Jesus. Where would we be if it were not for the Holy Spirit? To look at our life without the Holy Spirit would be staring right into the face of death itself. But as we responded to the work of the Holy Spirit in us and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Spirit was not done. He still lives and works within each of us continuing to reveal the truth, and guiding us into all of the truth. We will see in the next several days exactly what other kinds of work the Holy Spirit does within us, but for now let us open our hearts and minds to His presence within.