Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by [Paul’s instructions] is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:8-9 NLT

God keeps on giving us the vitally empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the great blessings about this presence is that God pours love into our hearts through the Spirit (Romans 5:5). Along with the great example of God’s love in sending Jesus (John 3:16-17), the Father uses the Spirit to teach us how to love each other (Galatians 5:22-23). We are to be filled with the Spirit as we submit to one another (Ephesians 5:17-21). We share in the fellowship of the Spirit as fellow believers (2 Corinthians 13:14). We live together in unity and pursue peace as the Spirit transforms us to be ever more like Christ (Ephesians 4:3-4). Loving each other is not only a command; it is also part of God’s continuing work in us through the Holy Spirit.

Dear God, I confess that I do not always love others as I should. I ask you to make me like Jesus in my love for others. I am thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit to help me see those to whom I need to show your love and to empower me to love them when it is difficult. In Jesus’ name, I pray for this grace. Amen.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
— Romans 15:30 NIV

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we pray (Romans 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts to give us hope and endurance (Romans 5:5; Colossians 1:9-11). So it shouldn’t surprise us that the love we have from the Holy Spirit moves us to pray for others in their struggles. Praying for others, what is sometimes called intercessory prayer, is a great gift empowered by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. In today’s verse, Paul wanted this Spirit-led and love-driven prayer to focus on his desire to proclaim Jesus, something we’ve focused on for several days. However, this Spirit-led and love-driven kind of prayer can be offered for anything that another brother or sister in Christ needs. Let’s remember that the love we feel for others and the intercession we are given by the presence of the Spirit are there as gifts to equip us to pray for others!

Today, Father, I want to pray for a number of folks on my heart who face struggles of all kinds. Some are family members… some are friends… some are faithful servants of your kingdom doing your work in hard places… some are grieving… some face tough times… some are making hard decisions… some have family struggles… some have great opportunities they don’t want to miss… some are overcoming addictions… and there are many others. Please hear my prayer for them today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[Jesus said,] “You’re the first to hear and see [the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah]. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until [the Holy Spirit] arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.”
— Luke 24:48-49 MESSAGE

“You’re the witnesses!” Jesus wanted his closest followers to know that they had experienced some things that were world-changing, and they were the first ones to witness these things. Their mission would be great, but they would receive power to help with that mission. That power would equip them and enable them to be witnesses to the world. The power that they were promised is the Holy Spirit. And that Holy Spirit, dear friend, is the same Holy Spirit that lives inside Jesus’ followers today! The early disciples waited for Jesus to send that power at Pentecost, and we are living reminders of that promise being fulfilled and that power being real. Two thousand years later, people across the oceans, from a multitude of cultures, call Jesus Lord because the promise of the Holy Spirit’s coming is true — in New Testament times and in our own!

Father, please forgive us for not believing in the power you have made available to us in your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus, for pouring the Spirit out on us when we gave our lives to you. Now, I ask that you open our eyes and our hearts to see and believe that this promised source of power to witness to your work is available to us today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
— 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV

When the good news of Jesus is preached, the Holy Spirit is at work making the message powerful. The “demonstration of the Spirit’s power” may refer to miracles that accompanied the preaching of the message of Jesus (Hebrews 2:1-4). However, in the context of today’s Scripture, Paul is primarily focusing on a greater truth: The message of a crucified Savior doesn’t appear to be wise and persuasive by human standards of wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 2:1-3), yet the Holy Spirit is active in the telling of the story of Jesus. The Spirit’s work in the message of the cross gives it seemingly inexplicable power to reach into people’s hearts and call them to Jesus. Nevertheless, for those of us who know the Holy Spirit’s work, this power really is not inexplicable; it is a reminder of God’s grace to give us not only the gift of Jesus but also the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the gift of Jesus!

Words cannot express, dear Father, how precious your love is to me. I realize that everything that I am and have in Jesus is the result of your grace. I believe that my future is secure because of that grace and because of the blessed Holy Spirit who is in me and who helps convict, correct, and console me. I thank you for such grace, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT

I love Paul’s challenge to Timothy to be faithful to what he had been taught and to remember why he could trust what he had been taught. Paul reminded Timothy that Scripture can make us wise, give us faith, correct us, teach us, prepare us, and equip us in two important ways: (1) through a Spirit-filled mentor or parent, and (2) through the Scriptures themselves, which he describes as holy and inspired (God-breathed or Spirit-inspired). The Scriptures’ power lies in the words the Spirit inspired and the people who show the transforming influence of the Spirit at work in their lives. Why wouldn’t we be eager to let the “sword of the Spirit” (God’s word, Ephesians 6:17) be at work in our lives?

Almighty God, thank you for speaking to us in words. As I place myself under the guidance of the words of Scripture, dear Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit uses them to form me into a person who is increasingly more like Jesus each day. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Take the helmet of salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 NIV

The Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and the Spirit helps us understand the will of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). God’s message of truth is much more than just the words of mere mortals; it is God’s will given by his Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8). Scripture has its origins in the Spirit of God, even though it was proclaimed by human messengers (2 Peter 1:19-21). In other words, I must not neglect the Scriptures as the word of God. They must be allowed to teach, rebuke, correct, train, and equip me to live the life of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I must allow the Spirit to use God’s word to convict me and work on the attitudes of my heart as I am trained to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 4:12-13; Hebrews 5:11-14). Another important thing that catches my attention today is that I must “take” God’s word. I must intentionally choose to pick it up, use it, and depend upon it, inviting the Spirit to lead me in the way of God!

Holy God, thank you for giving me your word in Scripture. Thank you for pouring out your truth through human messengers inspired by the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the work of the Spirit to convict and enlighten me through your word. As I seek your will in your word, I ask today that the Spirit be active and lead me in the way you want me to go. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
— 2 Corinthians 12:9

Today’s Word
While other preachers in Paul’s day were parading and bragging about their credentials, Paul refused to get into such self-centered contests to prove he was the most impressive of Jesus’ disciples. Even though he had the religious education and Jewish pedigree to silence his rivals, he preferred to acknowledge the areas of his weakness where God triumphed over his limitations. God had taught Paul that heaven’s power was most on display in Paul’s weakness, like Jesus’ power over the evil one, which he demonstrated through the cross — the ultimate sign of weakness (Colossians 2:12-15). God demonstrated his power through what Paul did in his weakness so the glory could go to God! Let’s be careful about determining someone’s ministry worthiness based on his or her resume or reputation. Instead, let’s honor people in whom God’s grace has triumphed through their weakness!

Our Prayer
Almighty and loving Father, thank you for sustaining and enabling me to serve you in ways I would never have dreamed of doing. Please help me serve you faithfully as I depend upon your grace in my weakness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Sometimes we misunderstand “fruit of the Spirit” because we say “fruits of the Spirit.” This difference seems like such a small thing, but, unfortunately, this small thing can lead us to a dangerously false conclusion. The fruit of the Spirit involves all nine of these qualities. We can’t excuse a lack of growth in one area or another as simply not having all the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is working to create the character of Jesus in us (2 Corinthians 3:18; see also Galatians 4:19). He wants to see us growing in each area; we should not excuse ourselves from any one of these qualities of Jesus. I don’t know about you, but there are several areas in which I need to grow — but I believe the Spirit is making progress in them. Let’s keep encouraging each other to let the Spirit lead us to become more and more like Jesus in every way!

O precious Father, God Most High, thank you for your patience, grace, and forgiveness. I want the Holy Spirit to lead me and empower me to grow in every way, but especially so that I can be more and more like Jesus in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Thank you for hearing my prayer offered in Jesus’ name. Amen.