He Gives Without Measure

“The one who comes from heaven is above all…He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.” -John 3:31;33-34

Both my father and my brother are electricians. They are excellent at their trade and have understandably earned a great deal of professional respect for their knowledge. If I wanted to learn about electrical work, I would spend time with them soaking in their expertise and experience.

 

The Biblical witness about the person of Jesus Christ is that of being God incarnate - the great I AM who called Moses and spoke through the prophets. John the Baptist testified to the one who was greater than himself, and pointed to Jesus, so that Jesus could increase while the John the Baptist would decrease. Therefore, if we want to understand the wisdom of the ages; if we want to rest our souls in the peace of the great mysteries of life and death; if we want to know how to live a life fully alive we spend time with Jesus the Christ, who, as the text today says, “…gives the Spirit without measure.”

 

The Spirit is God. The Son is God. The Father is God. The Son gives the Spirit, which is God giving God’s very self to sustain us and lead us home while we navigate this beautiful but deeply broken world. What does the Spirit give to us? What are these gifts so freely given without measure? Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Reverence, and Fear of the Lord (Awe).

 

I need these gifts each and every day. How about you?