Today’s scripture: John 16:7-15 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
The organization PolitiFact has a Truth-O-Meter. They use it to rate the things politicians say, rating them on a scale that goes from “True” to “Pants on Fire.” Sometimes, when I hear the folks from PolitiFact being interviewed on the news, I think how nice it would be to have a real Truth-O-Meter, so I could know True from False with absolute certainly. But, according to today’s scripture, we do have a Truth-O-Meter. It’s the Holy Spirit.
God’s Spirit is available to all of us all the time, and will lead us into all truth. (That’s a lot of alls.) However, many of us don’t know how to access God’s Spirit to lead us into truth. Perhaps we come from a tradition that discourages its members from having a direct relationship with God, expecting members to just do whatever the religious leaders say. Or maybe we’re new to this whole God thing, and aren’t practiced at listening to God.
So, here are some ways of accessing God’s Truth-O-Meter that have worked our ancestors in the faith, and may work for you:
Try this on a day when you’re facing a busy schedule, and have so many tasks vying for your attention that you don’t know what to do. Ask God’s Spirit to guide you. Then sit with the things you need to do. You can think about each one in your head, or write them down as list. See what tasks draw your attention. Are there items that have more energy than others? Trust that God is leading you, and do those things first.
When you have a big decision to make, ask God’s Spirit to guide you. Then, think about the different options facing you. Imagine choosing each one, and notice how it makes you feel. You might even try flipping a coin, and seeing how you feel when it lands heads or tails. Is there a decision that brings you more peace? Trust that God is leading you, and choose that one.
Each day, as the day draws to a close, ask God’s Spirit to guide you. Then think through the day. Notice where in the day you felt closest to God, and where you felt farthest from God. Were there times when you know you were in tune with God’s Spirit? Were there times when you know you were out of tune? Make a commitment to have more in-tune moments tomorrow.
Each day, as you begin the day, ask God’s Spirit to guide you, then try to listen throughout the day for how God is leading you. Occasionally stop and pay attention to your spirit. Do you feel at peace about the way you’re spending your time? Is God prompting you to pay attention to something else? Trust that God is guiding your thoughts, and act accordingly.
Thought for the day: God has given us the Holy Spirit to be our own personal Truth-O-Meter. All we have to do is ask God to guide us, and then listen for where the Spirit is leading. As you practice listening, you’ll get better at hearing when the Truth-O-Meter buzzes false or rings true.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.