nothing but the best
"It is better for you that I go. If I fail to go, the Paraclete will never come to you." —John 16:7, our transl.
Jesus said it is better to live now in the age of the Holy Spirit than to have seen, heard, and touched Jesus as He walked the earth. It is better to be a temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor 6:19) than to have been one of Jesus' first disciples. It is better to have a new nature in Christ than to have been healed by Christ when He walked the earth. It is better to live in the Trinity and have the Trinity live in each of us than to have heard with our own ears Jesus' preaching the Sermon on the Mount. It is better to receive the body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion than to have seen with our own eyes Jesus risen from the dead.
Jesus proclaims we live in the best of times. Are you "making the best" of these best times by living in the full power of the Holy Spirit? Are you baptized in, that is, immersed in the Holy Spirit? Do you want the Spirit as active as possible in your life? Do you want the fullness of the Spirit as much as you want to breathe? Come, Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, may my desire for the Spirit overcome my desires for the things of the flesh (Gal 5:17).
Promise: "He led them up into his house, spread a table before them, and joyfully celebrated with his whole family his newfound faith in God." —Acts 16:34
Praise: Steven's community fasts together on most Fridays of the year.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tapes on Life in the Spirit Seminar on audio AV 8A-1, AV 8A-3, AV 8B-1, AV 8B-3 or our video series which starts with V-8A.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, November 15, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 16, 2001