One of the Greatest Gifts

In the season of gift giving I am reminded of (NIV)Matthew 7:7-11:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. [9] “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

And the parallel passage in (NIV)Luke 11:9-13:
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. [11] “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? [12] Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Also referring to the Holy Spirit Jesus said the following: (NIV)John 16:7, 12-15: "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

I think these last verses, and specifically John 16:7, are astounding. Here we have the Messiah, the long awaited one, the Son of God incarnate, telling us that its better for us if He goes away (to Heaven) that the Holy Spirit might be given to us! I think the giving of the Holy Spirit is one of the great accomplishments of Jesus coming to earth. He dies on the cross to fulfill the law, His blood atones for our sins, He opens the door to Heaven that we might enter in, and the Holy Spirit is poured out on all men - see Acts 2:17!

So, in this season of gift giving, let us ask the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit, one of the greatest gifts of all time!!!