“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” John 16:13-14, NIV
Some of you know that I have three dogs. They are a joy of my daily life. They are getting old (like me!) so we understand each other really well. When I nap, they are more than happy to lay right beside me and remain calm. However, when they were much younger, this was not the case. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to train a young puppy how to walk on a leash, then you know how willful our four-legged friends can be.
When Daisy, who is now fourteen years old was young, whenever we went out for a walk it was hard to determine who was training who. Of the three dogs, Daisy is the most willful and stubborn even into her aging years. Training our pets is important not simply to show them who is the “boss,” but so when they hear our voice, they listen and obey. Why? Dogs are smart but they don’t have wisdom; they respond by repetitive action. If I am walking with Daisy and I see a car speeding around the corner, I want her to obey me when I give the command, “STOP!” Not listening and pulling away could potentially hurt or even take her life.
The apostle John tells us that “the Spirit…will guide [us] into all truth.” In a world where “truth” is hard to recognize, how comforting it is, knowing that we have the Holy Spirit watching over us, leading us and guiding us from the dangers of deception. Our all-knowing, all-wise God will protect our hearts and minds when we submit to His “way” and resist going off on our own. He is gentle and kind, but He will let us know when we pull away. The question is, will we submit to Him, or will we insist on going astray? I pray you and I will trust the One who loves us enough to die in our place so that you and I might live with Him in eternity.