Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Though Jesus is not still physically among us, His Spirit resides in every true believer of Christ. He did not leave us as orphans. He tells His original disciples plainly in John 14:15-18 (NIV): “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
The Holy Spirit now resides in every true believer in Christ Jesus and as Paul attests to in Romans 8:9B: “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” The Spirit gives the believer a new life of a totally different leaning. We are a new creation – “the old has gone and the new has come”, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV).
The Holy Spirit also enlightens us and teaches us the will of God for our lives gradually, plainly, powerfully, individually, sweetly, purely and fully – and He is infinitely patient with all our blunders. In our flesh, all of us remain ignorant of the ways of God. Filled with selfish ambitions and vain conceits, our eyes are darkened, preventing Truth from penetrating. Natural man is at a loss in regard to the mysteries of God. The world remains in darkness apart from His Light - unable to discern the things of the Spirit and also in natural enmity toward God. When Jesus enters the heart of man – His Words coming to light in a life – His power and a sweet and affectionate manner follow. Filled with the Spirit, He strengthens and equips us to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel for which Jesus died. The old has gone the new has now come – all by the power of the Spirit and the relinquishment of our wills to Him.
God’s love for us triumphs over our hopelessness and helps us to think through our past circumstances – both trials and blessings - with His eyes of love and favor – even our most disappointing and devastating ones. We are to keep our eyes fixed on the evidences of His love for us. Let that be our daily duty. Cultivate a deep appreciation of His loving affection towards us and love others that same way through His power. This is what He commands us to do: Love Him and love others, and He bestows on us the power to accomplish this great task.
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV)