May 16 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

These readings focus on the Holy Spirit. In the Old Covenant (or Testament), the Spirit "anoints" one person here and one there to perform a special work for God. In the New Covenant, the Spirit is "poured out" like rain on the whole church of Christ.

Bible Reading:

John 16:5–16

Bible Text:

"The Spirit ... will not speak on his own.... He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you" (John 16:13–14).

Devotional:

Since the 1970s Christian churches have sung: "Father, we love you, we worship, we adore you, glorify your name in all the earth." The second stanza continues, "Jesus, we love you, we worship, we adore you, glorify your name in all the earth." And the third stanza concludes: "Spirit, we love you ... glorify your name in all the earth." The song is one of our stammering attempts to adore the Mystery who is one yet three: Father, Son, and Spirit.

Actually, the Son did not intend to glorify his own name, nor does the Spirit want to magnify his own name in all the earth. But the Son glorified the Father by his work on earth. And the Spirit came to glorify the Son.

Without the Son we cannot approach or know the Father. But in order to know the Son, the Spirit has to open our eyes for his beauty, our ears for his word, and our hearts for his entrance.

Yet we must not be too concerned about saying it and singing it exactly right. For the Father is in the Son and the Son is represented by the Spirit. And God is one.

The Holy Spirit is Jesus' presence on earth between Christ's ascension into heaven and his return to us. Whatever the Father has, he has given to the Son. And whatever the Son has, becomes ours by the Spirit. When we have the Spirit, we have Jesus. When we have Jesus, we are in the arms of God.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.