We cannot understand the Bible unless the Spirit gives us spiritual insight into the meaning of the Scriptures. Will we listen?

24 Now then, my children, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.

The apostle Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). At a time when there were no New Covenant Scriptures and virtually no Christians, it made sense for Paul to tell the Corinthians to follow his lead. Nowadays, we have an entire culture based upon Judeo-Christian values (although, not so much anymore), the Old and New Testaments, and plenty of people to imitate concerning godly living.

But, Christian living is much more than imitation. We have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us along the way. The early Christians did, too, and leaned heavily upon Him for guidance through a very pagan world. It may be that our culture has made it too easy for us to be lax in our dependency upon Christ. As our nation drifts farther away from those Judeo-Christian values, we Christians will need to go back to the basics. What are those basics? They begin with knowing what Jesus said:

1. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6. To know the Father, we must know the Son. To know the Son is to know the Spirit of the Son and the Father.
2. “If you love me, keep my commands.” “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” John 14:15 and 21.
3. “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” John 14:26.

So far, we have us coming to Jesus, obeying Him and having Him and the Father and the Spirit coming to live in us. He (they) will tell us everything we need to know. These are the words of Jesus. He is our Lord and Master, King of the Universe. We are to listen to Him. Nothing else matters. If we knew nothing but these few verses, we would make it just fine because we have been promised that the Spirit would teach us what Jesus said and meant, and what the next step would be.

Caveat: I envision them coming to live in me much like the old couple in the car. She said, “Remember when we used to sit close together and cuddle as we drove?” He (who was driving) replied, “Honey, I never moved.” Like the Prodigal, the Father waits for us to come home even as Jesus comes to find us. Isn’t that exciting?!

Maybe losing our Christian culture would be the catalyst for revival among the Church (as a whole), especially in America! The Gospel is spreading like wildfire in restricted countries; why not here? Maybe we need some pruning. We certainly need some focus. Let’s be available to the Spirit to help us take the mighty stone of the Gospel and turn it into a mighty mountain that fills the entire earth (Daniel 2:35).

May we pledge our lives to Jesus Christ anew this morning.

Abba, I pledge my life to You. May we, together as partners, do mighty works that glorify Your name in heaven and earth. You lead, I will follow. THAT’S a partnership I can trust and enjoy! I love You, Abba. Amen.