Your Good Spirit

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

It was a day to remember in the history of Israel. They had returned to their land after many years of Babylonian captivity. On this particular day, the 24th day of Tishri [September-October on the Gregorian Calendar], after the celebration of Tabernacles, they gathered in sackcloth and ashes. For 1/4 of the day, they read from the Scriptures. For another 1/4 of the day, they confessed [presumably their sins] and worshiped God. That’s six hours of Bible reading and six hours of worship — so much for our 1 1/2 hours gatherings on Sunday!

Then a guy named Jeshua told the people to bless the Lord, and gave them the reason for doing so. You must read Nehemiah 9! What caught my attention this morning was a statement down in verse 20, “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them…” 

What touched me as I read this verse is that, too often, Christ followers forget about the Holy Spirit. God gave His good Spirit to the Children of Israel even as they wandered in the wilderness, and He gives His good Spirit to each of us. Let’s not fall into the common sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. He is good!

He’s good because He is God. He shares the absolute purity, truth, and grace of Jehovah.

He’s good in His work among us. He tenderly bears our waywardness [as the song writer said, “Prone to wander…Prone to leave the God I love”]; He quickens us from spiritual death to life in Christ; He trains us for works of ministry and empowers us to accomplish each task. He is the generous, forgiving, and tender Holy Spirit. 

He is good in His official capacity of Godhood. Whether He acts as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, or Intercessor, He does all things well. He works for the highest good to the Body of Christ. 

A Christ follower will never be all he can be until he reverently yields to the Holy Spirit. He is the “Good Spirit.” It is sad, indeed, and to our own detriment, that we grieve Him through our negligence. How good is the Holy Spirit of God!

You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Nehemiah 9:20