"If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:11-13This is one of my favorite passages from the bible because it explains the grace of God so well.
We know how to carry out transactions so well that it just becomes second nature to us. Yet, that by itself is a display of courtesy towards our neighbors. We are prone to give whatever anybody requests. Now, that doesn't go without acknowledging that there can be an entirely different context surrounding these occasions. We can give things over with an attitude. We could even give things that are of poor quality. But in general, we will give when we are asked.
Imagine being in a classroom and somebody asks for a pencil. Unless it's during an important test or competition, there is always someone there to give over a pencil, even if it's short, chewed up, and without an eraser. These are the kinds of things Jesus is referring us to.
Paul has taken many opportunities throughout his letters to explain what the Holy Spirit is. It's kind of like a gift basket for us, with everything being useful (unlike a basket with a few things we could just do away with). The Holy Spirit is something that guides us in our living. It's a mode of communication from the Holy Trinity to us. It's also something that drives us to pursue godly things in our lives.
So, if we can ask our friends and (occasionally) our enemies for things and receive what we'd asked for, how much better would be the things that come straight from God? God, who is all loving, all caring, all forgiving, has shown us a gift. We are receiving a gift that comes out of all things that are good in the universe. The Holy Spirit is good. God's gift is perfect.
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