John 3:8 says,

“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.”

Jesus said this to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who curiously came to Jesus in the secret of the night, as He was telling Nicodemus about being born of the Spirit. This verse intrigues me. It seems that Jesus is giving us (and Nicodemus) a picture of the nature and work of the Spirit. The Spirit is like the wind. Think about this as you start to see the autumn leaves being blown by the wind. What might Jesus be getting at here when He says that the Spirit is like the wind?

The Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary puts it this way, “As the wind seemingly blows where it wills, so the Holy Spirit sovereignly works. Likewise, no one knows the origin or destination of the wind, but everyone knows it is there. The same is true of the Holy Spirit.”

What does this mean for those of us who follow Jesus and seek to live according to the Spirit? Think about the characteristics of wind (the Spirit) and the characteristics of things that are blown by the wind (those born of the Spirit). How might this message affect the way we live and interact with the Holy Spirit?

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