John 15:26-27
[Jesus said] “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
Dear Lord Jesus,
You willingly went to the cross; there, You suffered and died for the world’s sins and, more specifically, each person’s sins. These gifts of forgiveness and salvation are for all who believe in You. We offer our heartfelt thanks to You and the Father for sending us the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit makes salvation a reality, coming to each person through the word and sacraments to bring mercy and grace to the individual. Our sinful nature wants to reject the Holy Spirit and Your word, but when we stop refusing Your love and mercy, that is where faith begins. Then we know that You died for all our sins and have given us Your perfection; all that Your Father commanded from us, You have fulfilled in us. The Holy Spirit sets us apart from the rest of the world as holy and perfect because we believe in You through the faith He started in us. It is by faith that You know and come to us; through that same faith, we are united to the heavenly Father. So we pray also that You would send us Your Holy Spirit to keep us consistent in Your word; please never let our sinful desires get the upper hand and reject You; constantly feed us according to Your love and mercy; what a blessing this is that You make eternal life so simple; by no longer denying You but by trusting in You.
We pray that You would send us Your Holy Spirit today, so we can testify about Your love for us and share these gifts with those who do not yet know You; so that they will stop rejecting You and believe that You have forgiven them all their sins. As a result, they will be forgiven, receive Your salvation, and be confident in the eternal life that awaits them when this life is completed. Lord, thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Listen to the message from God: He loves you and has redeemed you by sending His Son to suffer in your place. These gifts are only received through faith in Jesus.