May 24

“We will undoubtedly be led by the Spirit of God if we give ourselves up to His guidance.  But unless we have the right standard of Christian life set before us, we may be hindered by our ignorance from recognizing His voice.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 5/24

This truth explains for me why God had the church compile the Bible.  I wondered for years why we needed the Bible if we have the Holy Spirit.  Then I realized that because the Holy Spirit’s voice has so much competition in our noisy world it was necessary.  Even back in the third century before all the noise pollution God had to deal with all the man-made rules being attached to the Gospel.  In addition, the population was spreading and growing.  The written word would certainly help to give people a compass to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading.  But today I feel too many Christians rely only on God’s written word, which I think is a great mistake, and pay no attention to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  It leads too many of us into legalism and makes Christianity a "religion" instead of an alive and vibrant way of life.  We must continue to consult the Bible for the examples of Christ-likeness, but we must also heed the voice of God Who desires to have an intimate relationship with each of us.

“Pilate said to him ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king.  For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.  Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.’”  John 18:37