PASSION AND POWER: FRUITS OF THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

DATE: SATURDAY, 3RD JUNE, 2023 

TOPIC: PASSION AND POWER: FRUITS OF THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

TEXT: JOHN 11:18-47

18.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.

19.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

21.  Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22.  "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

23.  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24.  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25.  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26.  "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

27.  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

28.  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."

29.  As soon as she heard [that,] she arose quickly and came to Him.

30.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.

31.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."

32.  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

33.  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

34.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."

35.  Jesus wept.

36.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"

37.  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

38.  Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

39.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been [dead] four days."

40.  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

41.  Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up [His] eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

42.  "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said [this,] that they may believe that You sent Me."

43.  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

44.  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

45.  Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

46.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.

47.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

 

MESSAGE: 

The feat of raising Lazarus from the dead was a remarkable one. Sorrow gave way to joy, relationships were restored and lots more. For Jesus to have done this exploit He was moved in His spirit; He didn't rely on his own power. He followed the godly passion in Him. Many successes in our world today point at the passion of the individuals involved, while often, unsuccessful people follow the passion of others.

 

Many times, we desire to do great things in reaction to the situation around us, or, because of the influence of men. More than that, we must allow God to lead us into such works. Jesus declared, what I see my father do is what I do. This is what it means to be the Son of the Father. If we also desire to be called the sons of God, we must allow His Spirit to lead us. This is what makes the difference. Following the lead of the Spirit is the guarantee for working exploits.

 

Food for Thought: 

Following the leading of the Spirit is living the life of Christ.