The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being. Proverbs 20:27. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24.

Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise Him, all you twinkling stars! Praise Him, skies above! Praise Him, vapors high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued His command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. Psalm 148:3-6.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 43: Whoever will not hear must bear his sin. Deuteronomy 18:19: It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. And, Acts 3:22-23: And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.

Two of my devotionals this morning needed to be shared. From You Are the Beloved by Henri Nouwen: “The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to His followers, is the great gift of God. Without the Spirit of Jesus we can do nothing, but in and through His Spirit we can live free, joyful, and courageous lives. We cannot pray, but the Spirit of Christ can pray in us. We cannot create peace and joy, but the Spirit of Christ can fill us with a peace and joy that is not of this world. We cannot break through the many barriers that divide races, sexes, and nations, but the Spirit of Christ unites all people in the all-embracing love of God. The Spirit of Christ burns away our many fears and anxieties and sets us free to move wherever we are sent. This is the great liberation of Pentecost.” And from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers: “The Holy Spirit has been given; the Lord is glorified – our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness. The Holy Spirit’s influence and power were at work before Pentecost, but He was not here. Once our Lord was glorified in His ascension, the Holy Spirit came into the world, and He has been here ever since. We have to receive the revealed truth that He is here. The attitude of receiving and welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive reviving life from our ascended Lord. It is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changes people, but the power of the ascended Christ coming into their lives through the Holy Spirit….”This is eternal life, that they may know You” (John 17:3). Begin to know Him now, and never finish.”

In our state were primary runoffs ending yesterday. When a man was interviewed about how he felt about one candidate who received an endorsement, he shared that he wouldn’t want that man as his pastor or his marriage counselor. That very separation of what is “good” and what is not “admirable” gave me pause just listening to him. I think that’s why the above devotionals were so needed for me. I believe in the goodness of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. I can’t separate out God doing His good work needed in me – and in us – in our whole broken world – from any broken part of it. It’s that very brokenness wherever it’s manifested that calls out for God’s healing love. Will political ideology of all political parties in all our world separate us from God’s love doing its needed work in us? Yes. Until Jesus returns. That’s why the Holy Spirit is so needed now, to guide us to the better way of Life God provides with Him, and that takes time and our willingness to be led into Life lived with Him now. But as we are willing, what a difference is made in us! We see the turmoil of all the politics because it won’t be denied, but thankfully that doesn’t have to be all there is even to this life lived before Jesus returns! There is love, kindness, gentleness, hope, goodness, faithfulness, steadiness. The beautiful fruit of the Spirit that the Holy Spirit brings to bear in us as we are willing. What kind of people do we want to be?