11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13
“First, the Holy Spirit is described as a ‘gift’. There’s nothing we do to earn a ‘gift’… This is the first thing to understand about the Holy Spirit: he is a free gift to us. This means the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has no relation to our qualities and achievements. When it comes to a question of ‘merit’ and being ‘worthy enough’, the only person whose merits matter is Jesus. This is what the cross means to us. It brings us two undeserved gifts: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit. In the Old Testament the Spirit was given to a few individuals; prophets, priests and kings. The New Testament sees a radical new outpouring, and it’s the cross that makes this possible. There can be no Pentecost without Calvary; the Spirit comes from the cross.” (Mike Pilavachi, Everyday Supernatural: Living a Spirit-Led Life without Being Weird, p. 35)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we humbly ask for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit upon our churches resulting in the fruit of the Spirit to glorify you, spiritual gifts for ministry, and the salvation of the lost. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let’s sing the song “Fall Afresh” by The Belonging Co (click here).
– CR