READY: “He will give you another Helper, that He may abide
with you forever” -John 14:16
SET: Before Jesus left His disciples and returned to heaven,
He promised that He would send them a Helper, the Holy Spirit.
The word “helper” in the Greek means – “one called alongside.”
He stands beside us to help us. That’s why we Christians fight
no battles and face no problems alone.
Let me illustrate this with a story about Jackie Robinson. He
was the first black to play major league baseball. Breaking the
color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While
playing one day in his home stadium of Brooklyn, he committed an
error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base,
humiliated, while the fans jeered. Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese
came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie
and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said
that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Reese said, “If I
were breaking into a black league, I’d want someone to be a
friend to me.”
How many times has our Helper, the Holy Spirit, done just
that for us? We felt alone, discouraged, depressed, a failure,
ready to quit, but then we sensed His comforting presence. Or
maybe He gave us the support we needed through a Christian
friend. Know this that if you have the Holy Spirit on the
inside, you can stand any battle on the outside!
The bottom line is that you can be sure that the Holy Spirit
is always standing alongside you, ready and able to help!
GO: 1. How has the Holy Spirit helped you lately? 2. Have you
ever been moved my the Holy Spirit to reach out and help someone
in need?
WORKOUT: Ezekiel 36:27; Luke 11:13; Galatians 3:14; John
16:13
OVERTIME: Lord, thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit to
guide my life each day. Amen.
