In The Good and Beautiful God (GBG), Smith asserts that the Holy Spirit is at work in everything that happens to us in our Christian lives. He does not need the spotlight because He lives to point to the Father and the Son, but He is always at work (p. 28). The soul-training exercises we undertake are effective as the Spirit comes alongside of us in each one: "When we practice solitude or silence, when we engage in service or simplicity, it is the Spirit who is aiding us and encouraging us" (p. 29).
So we have this comprehensive call for the companionship of Spirit in our lives. In Luke 11 Jesus says that the Father knows how to give good gifts—even the Holy Spirit to those who ask, seek and knock for His Presence. University Avenue has been asking for the Spirit of God in greater measure for almost 1000 days, Sunday by Sunday: "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love...." The call for the Spirit to be with us and in us is not some idle exercise or embellishment of liturgy. We come before the Living God asking for the Life-Giving Spirit to be poured into our lives more and more.
And so we seek the Spirit's work in our lives. We will not grieve the Spirit. We will not quench the Spirit. We will blaze to the glory of Father in service of the Son by the power of the Spirit.
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