Can we find a man like this?

“And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭41:38‬ ‭

Joseph, who was sold as a slave in a foreign land, stood out among those around him. Why? Because he knew God, because God was with Joseph and enabled him to do what others could not do. Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" What enabled Joseph to do what others could not do? It was the Spirit of God that gifted him to interpret dreams, among other things. This supernatural giftedness led him to become second in command of all of Egypt.

Similarly, if we are saved, the Spirit of God is in us to do in our lives what we would not be able to do otherwise apart from Him. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said to his disciple, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father”(John‬ ‭14:12)‬. Why are the greater works that Jesus said His disciples would do, connected to Him "going to the Father." The reason they are is because it was at that time that He sent the promised Holy Spirit. Notice that He also said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John‬ ‭16:7‬).

Incredibly, Jesus is saying to his disciple that it would be to their greater advantage not having Him by their side. J.D. Greer puts it this way, "Having the Holy Spirit in them would be better than having Jesus beside them." How can this be? Among other things, having Jesus in us, we are enabled to be like Him and empowered to do His work to the glory of His name. Jesus is not only doing it for us, he's doing it in us and through us. And when this is the case, people around us can say, as Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Can we find a man (or woman) like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"

If Jesus were besides us, and not in us, He would certainly not be limited by us, but we would be limited in being able to make much of Him. People could say, "He's glorious" by pointing to Him standing next to us, but through the Holy Spirit working in us, people can point to us and glorify His name (Matt. 5:16). Also, during the earthly ministry of Jesus, in His physical presence, He was only at one place at a time. But through the indwelling Holy Spirit, He can manifest Himself and work through every believer, anywhere and anytime. In this way, disciples of Jesus through the Spirit have done greater works is spreading the gospel in the world.

What about your life can be attributed to the work of the Spirit? Are His fruits being manifested in your life and are you serving Him with His power? This will be the case as we fellowship with Him through God's word, pray about what He reveals to us, and daily surrender to His leading. We can serve God with the peace and joy of the Spirit knowing that He will be our Helper, He will guide us to fulfill His purpose for the greater fame of Jesus!