Luke 11: A Good Gift

As a dad, I resonate with the message of Luke 11. Jesus asks, ¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

On the negative side, Jesus calls us evil (in the sense that we all sin). Positively, Jesus highlights that despite our human frailty, we desire to give good gifts to our children, those we love. God is the same in this regard and far better. God wants to give his Spirit to us. So how does this happen?

Other places in the New Testament speak of the Holy Spirit coming into our lives when we choose to follow Jesus as Lord or Leader. We are then transformed, with the supernatural power that created the universe living within us. We continue to struggle with sin in this life, but we now have God’s power to overcome in this battle and show we are different from others around us.

If you do follow Jesus, be encouraged that His Spirit lives in you. But also be concerned that we rely on His power today rather than our own strength. Strive to let God’s life be lived through you in such a way that others notice and want what you have. Our greatest witness is not how we look on the outside but rather when others can see God’s Spirit working through us from the inside out.

+++

Dillon Burroughs has written, co-written, or edited over 60 books, including the upcoming devotional work Thirst No More (October 2011). He served as an associate editor for The Apologetics Study Bible for Students and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. Find out more at readdB.com.