Welcome to Pentecost weekend! (24 May) As we have been focusing on the Holy Spirit, here is a final devotion on how the Holy Spirit transforms our lives daily:

IN WORD –The Holy Spirit not only convinces us of sin; He convinces us of righteousness. Is there a difference? Doesn’t an awareness of our sin imply that there is an awareness of a righteous alternative? Yes, but it tells us nothing of what that righteousness will look like. We know it will preclude the sins we regularly commit; but other than avoiding the bad things, we don’t know the good things righteousness will lead us to do. That’s where the Spirit comes in. He shows us Jesus.
While Jesus was in front of His disciples, they knew what righteousness looked like. They went where He went, they watched what He did, they responded to His instructions. Now, He tells them, He is going away and the Spirit is coming. We have the Bible, of course, so we see Jesus through the eyes of its writers. We, too, know what righteousness looks like. But we have no idea what it demands of us today other than by example. And Jesus did not simply leave us with an example. He left us with Himself. The Spirit is His presence; He shows us what He is doing. He convinces us what righteous living is all about.
IN DEED – A popular catchphrase asks us “What would Jesus do?” It isn’t a bad question, but there’s a better one: “What is Jesus doing?” The first question makes Jesus a dead example. The second recognizes His living presence.
Jesus isn’t dead, you know. He’s very much alive, and His Spirit is very much living with us and in us. He is here to show us how to live—not just in principle or by example, but today in our actual circumstances and relationships. His Spirit convicts us regarding righteousness because we need His righteousness to live in us and through us. We need Him to act in our lives. And our world needs to see Him desperately. Let them see Him through you. “God works immediately by His Spirit in and on the wills of His saints.” —John Owen (in “At His Feet” by Chris Tiegreen)

Do you realize that it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to experience Jesus in our lives daily? But we can only enjoy it if we acknowledge and invite the Spirit into our lives.
When we strive by ourselves, it is tiring and draining, and we often fail to be “righteous.” But in the Spirit, His work enables us to become more like Christ through transforming us daily. Take some time to read the letter to the Galatians, a chapter a day. Note the differences between human effort and walking in the Spirit. Then ask the Spirit to enable you to experience His work in your life daily so that you may live Christ’s life to its fullest. Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam