How Much More

How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit

to those who ask Him.

Luke 11:13

I posted this message previously, but I want to include it again following the previous weeks’ posts about the Holy Spirit. I need to remind myself of this truth often!

We know from God’s Word that every believer has received the Holy Spirit to live in us at the moment we were saved.  Why should we have to ask for more of the Holy Spirit?  Do we only get a little of the Spirit at a time?  No, I believe that “how much more” means that there is more of God that He wants us to be aware of and experience — His love, His constant presence, His wisdom, His direction, His promises. He wants us to know what He has done for us, the hope we have even in the midst of the most difficult and troubling circumstances, and the promise of eternal life with Him.

A few years ago, our pastor chose “Desperate Dependence” as the theme of the year for our church.  It has been life-changing for me to learn to live that way. The more we get to know God through studying His Word, we will become more aware of His love for us, the plan He has for our life, His desire for us to become more like Jesus. The more we surrender our lives to follow Him, the more we will recognize our need to depend on Him for everything we need.  That’s why He invites us to ask Him for more of His Holy Spirit.

As I write this, we have just recently celebrated the Christmas season.  I think of how much delight I received in finding the perfect gift for my daughter, something she had seen in a store and wasn’t able to buy it for herself.  When she opened it, we were equally delighted! Now I think of God who knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows the abundant life He wants us to enjoy the more we surrender our lives to Him.  Through the Holy Spirit living in us, we receive His gifts, the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). We will grow more deeply in love with the Lord, and grow in our love for others and willingness to serve them with the gifts He has given us.

We can ask the Father for more of the Holy Spirit and be assured that is a prayer He is delighted to answer! I’m encouraged to ask Him daily!

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:16-19 encourages us with these words:

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God (my emphasis added).

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Do you recognize your need for more awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life? You can ask Him, and then begin intentionally depending on Him each day to supply what you need to accomplish His plan.

Are you experiencing the abundant life God offers?  John 10:10 tells us “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

How will you respond to God’s offer of more of the Holy Spirit in your life?