Unmitigated Genius

What’s the Holy Spirit like? Well, we know he’s a genius, but not the kind we’re used to. His genius is "not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age" (1 Corinthians 2:6). His genius is beyond human discovery. He "searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10). He’s an unmitigated genius. A perfect genius.

We also know, he’s here for us. He was sent by God the Father, at the request of our King, Jesus Christ, to bring truth "out into the open" and "make everything plain"—all to "bring out his best in us" (1 Corinthians 2:6-10; John 14:25-27 MSG). He was sent to take you and me "by the hand" and guide us "into all the truth there is" (John 16:12-15 MSG). Think about that . . . "all the truth there is" . . . suffused into our lives. Well, that’s his mission.

So, the only question is, what do we do? The answer is, not that much, actually. We just give him a chance, by doing the simple things Jesus taught: meditate, pray, study, fast, serve, confess, repent, worship, celebrate. He does everything else. Of course, the more we do, the better—though, even one of those, even imperfectly done, allows the Spirit to introduce some of his genius into our lives. When we fail to do even a little, though, it doesn’t: "The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 MSG).