The Wind Blows

Joni and Friends

Today's Devotional

“‘The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’” — John 3:8

I love the winds of March. The smell of the wind bearing the fragrance of early Spring blossoms. The feel of the wind blustering and straining against the string of a kite. The sound, whispering through the pines, or snapping damp sheets on a line. Jesus must have loved the wind. I can picture him feeling a cool breeze touch his face and then, hearing the murmur of leaves, gesturing toward a nearby tree and commenting, “the wind blows... you hear its sound... you cannot tell where it comes from... So it is with the Spirit.”

Little wonder Jesus likened the wind to the Spirit. Wind moves. So does the Spirit. It — or I should say, he — never stays still. He is always moving and making his presence known. And if this Holy One lives at the center of our lives, we will see, feel, and at times, almost smell and hear the effects. The Spirit is constantly doing something in us. Just as we can see the effects of the wind in the trees (although we cannot see it), others will observe and appreciate the effects of the Spirit in our lives.

It’s absurd to suppose you can have the Spirit of Christ within you and not see, feel, and experience his presence. The Holy Spirit will produce holy living. Paul says in Galatians 5:22 that, “the fruit [or evidence] of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Step outside on a breezy March morning and notice that the wind marks its movement by what it touches. In its wake it leaves freshness and cleansing. As you allow the Spirit to touch your life, others will mark his presence and breathe deeply of his fragrance. They will give thanks to God... and thanks to you.

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I sense your stirrings in my life, Lord. Move powerfully in me. Blow a fresh breeze through my soul and sweep away anything that displeases you. May I be different for it, and may others see and notice your touch.

From More Precious Than Silver, April 6, by Joni Eareckson Tada, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998.