Our Spirit Guide

 

A number of religions from around the world, including those of certain Native American tribes, teach the value of listening carefully to a “spirit guide.” In Colonial America, one of the more foolish mistakes the European settlers made was to disregard the wisdom that the Native Americans had to offer. Of course, there were notable exceptions. But, there was also a certain arrogance borne out of a distaste for anyone who seemed different and also borne out of fear.

When I was in college a lifetime ago, a dear friend, Bob Gilmore, and his parents had a ministry to nearby Native Americans. In fact, Bob had grown up among Native Americans at the Brainerd Indian School in South Dakota. I had the privilege of attending Sunday worship at a small gathering of Native Americans in Cattaraugus County, New York. During one of these services, a dear brother shared how, in a life transforming moment, he came to know of the Savior, Jesus, as revealed to Him by the True Spirit Guide, the Holy Spirit.

We followers of Jesus may not think of the Holy Spirit as our “Spirit Guide.” But, that’s the very reason God gave His dearly loved children the indwelling Holy Spirit—to guide them along the pathway toward ever-greater spiritual formation.

Please notice these words shared by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14:

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

There is a great sense of mystery to Christianity. Only through the Holy Spirit does that mystery become revealed. So, we should not be surprised that before we accepted God’s gift of salvation, much of the Christian faith seemed strange, even off-putting. But, once we acknowledged the salvation that God has provided for us, we began to understand the beauty and glory of the Christian faith.

As we begin a new day, let us hold fast, and with great joy, to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let’s be humbly thankful that God has given us a Guide to keep us on a steady path.

And, let us share our faith as God opens opportunity for us to do so. In gentle and respectful ways, let’s illustrate the wonder of God revealed in His precious Son through the power of our Spirit Guide.

 

_{Copyright © 2016 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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