Our service at church yesterday is one in a series called Supernatural. It was about the Holy Spirit and while I've heard many sermons on this topic, I don't recall (I should say, until this moment had forgotten) how the Holy Spirit beckons people. I guess it's pretty common knowledge among many Christians, but this struck me freshly.
The reference is John 14:15-17: "If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter, and He will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you." NLT
The sermon pointed out that He leads all into truth and dwells with and in us. He only dwells "in" Christians. He dwells "with" all humanity! I knew God gave everyone a chance to receive but didn't know the reference to prove it. Here it is... He dwells with us and leads all who would receive it into truth and shows them how to live. The key there is "receive"! You can refuse to receive and say, "God doesn't speak to me". Oh but He does!! Everyone gets a chance, multiple times and in many ways. But beware, He's so easy to deny if we want to. He's soft spoken and quietly fades out when we are SO bent on having our own way. But when you are searching for real truth (not truth bent in favor of your preferred lifestyle) you will see and hear all truth from the One who was sent to "lead us in all truth and wisdom".
It's true. And I can attest to both sides of that coin. I grew up bouncing back and forth between knowing the peace of God and trying to deny it so I could "have fun" which wasn't much fun since I knew the truth. I wasted a lot of time and effort during the time I explored outside His plan but grew from it as well. Now I have children of my own saying, "He doesn't speak to me Mom" but I can show them times that they actually made decisions unknowingly that fell into an obvious plan for their life that add up to way too many "coincidences" to be a coincidence! :) (Which by the way I barely believe in...coincidences that is...it happens, just not nearly as much as some people claim.) I could go on...but that could be a post of its own.
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