The Spirit Leads to Truth
Are you good at following a leader?
Verse of the Day
‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.’
Today’s Devotional
We are looking at truth, and today we begin to look at the Holy Spirit. If you read the verses for today and the next two posts, they would all look very similar.
In John chapter 13, Jesus washes the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. John then captures a large dose of teaching that Jesus gives. It starts in chapter 13 and continues through chapter 17, and then is immediately followed by Jesus’s betrayal and arrest in chapter 18. So this is the last time that Jesus has to teach His disciples before His death.
These three verses about the Holy Spirit, that all sound very similar, are ALL in this section of Scripture (plus quite a few more about the Spirit). Do you think there are some really important things that Jesus is trying to make sure that the disciples understand before His death?
It’s like the cram session before the final exam. It’s like how I talked to my daughter before she left the state to go to college. Jesus knew that everything was about to change and He really wants us to understand some crucial elements of our faith in Him.
Looking specifically at today’s verses, I notice that we receive the Holy Spirit because Jesus asked His Father. Jesus knew we were going to need some help along the way. Jesus first calls the Spirit an Advocate, which is one who speaks on behalf of another.
Jesus then reveals that this Advocate is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. If we are seeking truth, then it seems like a really good idea to invite in the Spirit, who’s job is to lead us to truth. And not just some truth, but ALL truth.
Later in this same chapter, Jesus says, “’But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.’
I used to wonder how the men who wrote the Gospels were able to remember everything in such detail. Then I read this verse. The Gospels exist because the Holy Spirit helped these men to remember and write down the life and words of Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but I can hear something that is true, and pretty quickly forget all about it. Have you ever heard a really great sermon that made you think and perhaps even changed your perspective about something, and then you forgot all about it by Monday? That’s exactly why we need the Spirit. Truth is only going to cause change in our lives if we apply it. But I can’t remember to apply the truth if I have already forgotten about it.
For me, the word that sticks out to me the most in today’s verses is “leads”. The Holy Spirit leads us to truth. My job is to follow. How do I do that? My guess is that the Spirit’s leading might look a little different for each of us, just like parents teach and guide their children differently based on their personalities and how each child is wired.
If I want truth, and I want that truth to change me, I need to learn to become a good follower of the Spirit’s leading.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How important is the Spirit’s role in your daily faith?
How good of a follower are you today?
How can you ask the Holy Spirit to teach you to be a better follower?
Where or how has the Spirit led you into truth in the past?
How can you follow the Spirit’s leading today?