You need money

So, I was packing and paying for the shopping in Aldi and my daughter kept saying to me

‘YOU NEED MONEY’.

Now, any of you who have shopped at Aldi will know that you have to be focused as the checkout assistants scan your shopping at a very high speed. In fact, the first time I shopped at Aldi, I felt like a batsman (without a bat!) facing a really fast bowler. I survived then and many times since, but you do have to concentrate.

So back to my daughter telling me I needed money. I was aware of what she was saying and acknowledged it, telling her I was going to pay with my card. As the final items were fired passed carefully across for me to put into the trolley my daughter stopped her persistent talking about my need for money. As I walked out of the shop, I had a real doh! moment as it dawned on me what she was trying to tell me.

To understand, we need to rewind to earlier that day when my son asked me for some money for a bus fare. I didn’t have any cash and so I said I would get some out when I went shopping and so I asked my daughter to remind me at the checkout that I needed to get some money.

I needed her to remind me and she did persistently remind me but I missed what she was doing as my focus was elsewhere.

I’ve been thinking about the presence and purpose of the Holy Spirit and I was reminded (deliberate use of the word) that Jesus said:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16.13)

The Holy Spirit is our guide and he is constantly trying to show us the truth but sometimes our focus is elsewhere and we miss what he is staying to us.

The Spirit is trying to show us the truth that is found in the Bible. This truth shows us who God is, how we can know him and how we should be living and relating to God. The Bible is our manual for life and we need to read it and allow the Spirit to remind us of the truth that we have read if we want to live well.

The Spirit is also trying to show us the truth about our life circumstances and the things that are going on around us. He wants to give us knowledge and insight about people and situations that we can then use for his glory but we have to be listening to receive this information. Jesus in John 4 meets a woman by a well and during the conversation it becomes clear that he has some special insight into her life that enables him to talk more effectively to her about knowing God for herself.

My daughter kept telling me that I needed money and I did.

What is the Holy Spirit telling us?

If he is trying to tell us something, we definitely need to hear it. So let’s choose to listen well.