October 16

The Lord presumes the best of us in Luke 11:13 where He says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask of Him?” I’m not positive, but that just might be a ‘left-handed compliment.’

Jesus knows us through and through. There is nothing about us that is hidden from His scrutiny. We cannot hide our sins in a secret place, for He knows our actions and our thoughts; therefore when He says that we know how to give good gifts to our children, He is making an accurate observation.

However, man is not universally good to his children. There are parents who defy the generalization Christ is making here, but for the most part, it is our desire to advantage our children however our circumstances will allow us to do so. We try to bless them through life and in death we bequeath to them all of our substance. We want them to have the best of all we’ve accrued. Yet the Lord recognizes that our goodness to our children is not necessarily the norm in our interaction with people.

We cannot always be relied upon to put the well-being of others above ourselves. So, when we consider the blessings of inviting the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we are suspect. Is this entity really God? Would God really dwell in us? How much better do you believe God is than we are? Does a good parent deceive his children to harm them? Can we conceive of the circumstance when we would plot to harm our children to advantage ourselves? Then how can we imagine God might? Ask for the Holy Spirit in His fullness—and be blessed.