Lessons from the Wind
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8 NKJV)
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-14 NKJV)
This last Saturday, when I walked out the door, I saw the sun. I know it has always been there, but the last few weeks the clouds have kept it hidden. But I also “saw” the wind. Now I didn’t actually see the wind, but I saw the flags that were blowing so hard that I thought they would be ripped to pieces. I felt the car sway as I drove down the road. I saw dust in the air. I didn’t see the wind, but I saw the effects of the wind. I obviously knew that the wind existed and that it was moving in a powerful way.
The New Birth
The Lord says that to enter (or see) the kingdom of God, we must be born again or from above. Then the Lord likens that birth to the wind since we must be born of the Spirit. The new birth is available to all, but it is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord tells us, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged (John 16:7-11 NKJV).” The Holy Spirit cannot be seen but His work can be seen and even felt.
Sin
Notice that the sin that is mentioned here is the sin of unbelief. Remember the first time you took the Lord’s name in vain? Do you remember how it “felt?" Taking the Lord’s name in vain is a public demonstration of a person’s disdain of the Lord. It is unbelief. Yes, when we first did it (and most of us have at some time in our lives), I am sure that we all were convicted that it was wrong. That is the work of the Holy Spirit convincing us of sin.
Righteousness
Notice that righteousness is connected with the Living Lord who is now in heaven. Because He is in heaven, many mock His claims and do not believe that He was raised from the dead and is coming again. But God’s righteousness is something that we get by faith and not by works of righteousness. For those of you who think you are “good enough” to go to heaven, I am sure that you wonder if you have done enough good to make the cut. That is the Holy Spirit convicting you of your need of the righteousness that Abraham had credited to Him when he believed God.
Judgment
Right now Satan is the great deceiver and He doesn’t care what lie we believe so long as we don’t believe in or trust in the Lord Jesus. But Satan knows that the cross broke His power. He may rule in this world temporarily, but the Lord says He is coming again and while Satan may win battles, he loses the war. When the Lord comes again, He is going to come to judge and take vengeance on His enemies. Believers are saved from all of that but the unsaved are going to see wars and disease and natural disasters like they have never seen before when the Lord returns. I am sure that you have considered your future and have wondered if you are ready to die or to meet the Lord should He return before you die. That concern is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Glorifies the Lord
To glorify has different meanings but here it just means to speak well of or to bring praise and honor to the Lord. The way the Lord is best glorified is for us to trust the One that the Holy Spirit is trying to convince us to trust. So while we didn’t really see the wind that caused the flag to blow straight out on Saturday, we did see the flag and its flopping in the wind. When you feel that tug of conscience, when you lay awake at night wondering what your life is all about, when you wonder why it is easier to curse than to pray, remember that is the Holy Spirit’s way of working in your life. And should you submit to what He is saying to you, you will notice that your flag of life will fly differently as well.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of October 21, 2018