TEXT: John 14:26-But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Genesis 2:7 -And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
In the Bible we can see three major gifts, which God gave to man: first, is the gift of life –“ The breath of life” The second is the gift of redemption – The redeemer “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 Third, is the gift of the Holy Spirit[JC1] – The Comforter.” 26 …the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, Jesus, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26 God is the only source and giver of these gifts. And man is the recipient or subject of these gifts[JC2] . As John the Baptist said “… A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” John 3:27 These fundamental truth of the bible is significant in order to understand and appreciate “The gift of the Holy Spirit”. The life and nature of man is a gift from God, which began with the breath of life.
The breath of life from God made man a living soul, an image of the God, with a body, soul, and spirit. He is a complete entity with the spiritual nature that can relate with God. In addition, God made him responsible for the gift of life and everything that has life. So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28 As a living soul, you can communicate with God and have relationship with Him. And you are personally accountable to God. 4 “Behold, He said, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. Ezekiel 18:4 (NKJV)” So, the idea that “it is my life” I can do whatever I want is not the whole truth about life. Your life is first, the property of God given to you to profit with. You are going to give account someday. Therefore, it is important we take life as a precious gift from God and enjoy it responsibly. For example, Job realized this fact. In his moment of pain, he “20 … tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Job 1:20-22 (NKJV) He realized that his life experience was a gift from God. He worshiped and honor God when all was going well and when things turned sour. The great Abraham is another example; God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. On his way to doing just that … Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” … Genesis 22:7-8 (While Abraham was about to offer his only son, God did provide himself) The Bible parades a lot of men and women who knew God as the giver of life. People who would not decline to commit their lives to God whenever necessary to do so. David also, was an example of a young man at the time. He was not afraid to lay down his life before a well-known giant war hero, to honor the living God. He said “… The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine (the giant) And God delivered Him. These heroes of faith loved God with all their heart, soul, and spirit. They see themselves as custodians of the gift of God and ambassadors of the image of God.
As you can see from the example of Job, Abraham, and David, they talked and acted like people who know God. They appeared to have had reliable connection with God. [JC3] Paul said, “…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)” Life and living can be a challenge but knowing that God is our refuge and strength, is fulfilling and fruitful. This is the reason why Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV) How do these gifts impact our lives and relationship with God? This is the question we are going to be tackling as we go along in this series. But meanwhile, if you do not know Jesus yet, you can begin to realize the gifts of God by accepting Him today, turn to Him, repent of your sins no matter what and ask Him to come into your heart right now. And you shall be saved. We will continue from here next week with “The gift of redemption” Please join us. God bless you indeed.
