6.2 What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

There's something we're all coming to terms with, a very real-life problem. I call it this, the 1% life. We can all relate to the dread of being out and about and looking down at your phone to see the terrifying red battery sign. Life on 1% means a screen you can hardly see. No Wi-Fi, no videos, you know that all you can do is send basic text messages in the hope of survival until you find a charger. The 1% life can be so limiting and many of the people that Jesus encountered were trying to live out their faith as if on a 1% battery. That's why Jesus was so passionate to announce that 'he came to give life and life to the full' (John 10:10). This promise in all its fullness, like a phone fully charged is life with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is something we need more of every single day to stay fully charged and make an impact on our world and on those around us. We all remember our first day of big school but you may not remember all the effort that was put into getting you ready to survive the new experience. Could you imagine never opening the loaded school bag that you had? It's like watching everyone eating but remaining hungry or getting soaked when it rained because you never checked your bag to see what was there to help you. The Holy Spirit is like a good parent who helps you out on your first day of school and packs everything you need to deal with what life throws at you. All you have to do is open up what's already waiting for you. Inside, you'll find wisdom, courage, understanding, knowledge, advice, and an awe or appreciation for the love and goodness of God. Now, if God gave you the option to fill your backpack with whatever you wanted, you may choose other things but these gifts are what really make the difference for a fulfilling life. A well-known character from the Bible called King Solomon was given this very offer. God said that he would give Solomon anything that he asked for and though it might seem weird Solomon asked for a special measure of wisdom which meant he had the ability to make really wise decisions (1 Kings 3:9). King Solomon was the Son of David, the stone- throwing sling-wielding giant conqueror. There was one time 2 women were arguing over who owned a baby and in his wisdom, Solomon decided to pretend to cut the baby in half. One of the women dived in front shouting, 'give the baby to the other woman,' this was the act of the real mother. Pretty smart, eh? And don't worry, King Solomon was never going to let that baby be harmed and the real mother was rewarded. But the point is is that the Holy Spirit is there to help us with all of life's tough decisions. The Holy Spirit also helps us to be courageous, to serve God wholeheartedly even if it could cost us something. An example of this from the Bible is Mary. She was a young Jewish lady tasked with the overwhelming responsibility of carrying Jesus in her womb. This was at a time when she wasn't married and people were giving up hope that the promised savior, the messiah would ever come. But in response to the angel who told her, her destiny, Mary said, 'truly I am the Lord's servant, let everything you have said happen to me' (Luke:1:38). Despite the rolling eyes of the community, the gossip, the labour in a barn, and watching her Son be crucified, we can see how the Holy Spirit gave Mary everything she needed to persevere through it all. But the best example of life with the Spirit has to be Jesus. The many things you could say about the life that Jesus lived here on earth but no one would say that it was boring or that Jesus was missing out. And although Jesus had almost nothing in terms of possessions and spent most of his ministry away from the comfort of his home, he was very much fulfilled and participated in the world in incredible ways. The Holy Spirit helped Jesus understand people's lives and gave knowledge to really know what was going on with people. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus courage, stand his ground, and stand up for people that needed help and the Holy Spirit gave Jesus wisdom to speak kindly even when people got angry. So, we encourage you to dip into your Holy backpack and ask the Holy Spirit to help you live a life like Jesus. It may not be a life that is always easy, but it will be a life fully charged, a life that makes a lasting difference.