Devotionals for the Heart: Humankind and The Holy Spirit that unites us

One in the Spirit
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
–John 14:26 (NASB)

The Holy Spirit is a mystery. I know that the Spirit is real and that God dwells with us as believers in the form of the Holy Spirit, but I admit that I don’t really understand it all.

I’ve always liked the metaphor of the Holy Spirit being like the wind and how we can’t see the wind, but we certainly know it’s real when we feel it or when we see the evidence of it.

Living in the Midwest has given me both a perspective on the wind and a grudging appreciation for it. Out here a 50 or 60 mph wind can come out of nowhere, scream across the prairie, shake the house, rattle the windows and be gone. In some places you can look miles away to see dust clouds and know that the wind is there. You can look at wind maps and see where the winds are the highest and where they are moving to. Amazing.

What if there was an app on my phone that I could open up and see where the Holy Spirit was moving at any given time? I’m trying to imagine what that might look like. Maybe it would show me what the Spirit is doing in the lives of people around me. Or maybe it would be a map with different colors for how well things are going in prisons or churches or governments. Maybe it would spur me on to help with missions work or sharing hope or giving encouragement. Maybe it would have an alarm that would remind me each hour that the Spirit is with me, that He is for me and that He is my comfort in all things.

I think more than anything, an app like that would remind me that all believers, regardless of doctrine, creed, or culture, are part of something greater. We are a multifaceted web of flawed humans, living our lives in a broken world. Our purpose should be one of unity and love through our shared connection of having the God of the Universe living inside of us, something I too easily and too often forget. We should all be trying to show the world the good news that Jesus loves them.

The old song “We are One in the Spirit” makes me think of evenings around a fire at camp. But more than just a pretty song, there is such a truth to it, especially in the line “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Looking at the world and its division even among believers, I sometimes wonder whether that has ever been or will ever be true.

But today, if I stay in connection with the Spirit through Bible reading and prayer, I’m much more apt to be in better connection with my brothers and sisters in Christ and the world might look a little more like what God intended. So maybe I don’t need an app after all!

Let’s Pray: Please help me see where your Holy Spirit would lead me, Lord. I want to be part of the work of your Spirit in this world. Give me a greater love for my fellow believers. Remind us of our connection to You and to each other and Your charge to love one another. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume.

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two teenage children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting. You can find her at www.glynisbecker.com.