What a Sticky Note Can teach us about the Holy Spirit?

Opening: 
Now that we have seen how a pencil can teach us about faith, let's take a look at how the sticky note teaches us about the Holy Spirit. Teachers can't live without those faithful sticky notes. We have tons of them, in a variety of colors. I would venture to say they are one of the greatest inventions for teachers, readers, and students alike. 

​So, let's look at how they help us understand the job of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. I'll begin by listing the related scriptures first. 


Scripture References: 
John 14:26 (ESV) - "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

John 16:13 (NLT) - "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future."

Romans 8:9 (NLT) - "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)"

Gal. 5:22 (NLT) - "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"

Devotion: 
Sticky notes help teachers and others in so many ways. I will only highlight four of them in this devotion. First, they help us remember things we need to get done. They help us prioritize what's important. One of my favorites is being able to annotate using sticky notes as I read a book or when teaching my students how to use the annotation strategy. They help us to focus and zoom in on what is important in the text so we can put all the key details together and determine the overall theme. In addition, they are great for labeling the papers on our desk. Yes, believe it or not, we still require our students to write things out on paper. All of these also teach us more about the Holy Spirit. Stay with me. 


1. Remind - Like the pencil, sticky notes have to be used by an individual. Otherwise, they sit and collect dust. According to John 14:26, Christ sent His Holy Spirit as one who would bring His words back to our remembrance. Just like the sticky note is our helper as educators, the Holy Spirit helps us and teaches us, which enhances our faith in Christ. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. 

2. Prioritize - Have you been given several different tasks at school? It all may be happening that day (meeting during your planning, call a parent, complete modules, and more). So you won't forget, you go to your room and write them down in their order of importance. Otherwise, none of it will get done because you would forget all about it once your next class starts or when your students return from specials. 

This helps me with understanding how the Holy Spirit teaches us to prioritize our relationship and obedience to God. The LORD wants our relationship with Him to succeed. Therefore, He doesn't leave us on our own. His Spirit guides us into all truth, so we are not deceived by the enemy. Just like if we didn't have that sticky note with the list of priorities on our desk, we would more than likely fail at our job expectations. He knows we need His Spirit within to remind us to walk upright and remain faithful. 


3. Annotate - Now, if you (like me) have ever been trying to get your students to understand a difficult text, you teach the annotation strategy. It could be something as simple as who, what, when, where, why, and how. Whichever you teach, the students walk away understanding the pieces and the overall meaning of the text. This is the ultimate goal. 

Even greater than this, God's ultimate goal is for us to not be controlled by sin any longer but by His Spirit. He wants us to know Him and understand our overall purpose in this life as we walk with Him. So, we "annotate," seeking to understand the 5w's and the H about God, and also the overall meaning of life and life in Him. Therefore, we take note of the important things about God, His holiness, His truth, His righteousness, and His purpose for us. 

4. Label - Finally, sticky notes are used often to label. When my students have completed reading summaries and other assignments, I paperclip and label them by class period and grade level. You may use sticky notes to label by subject area, so your life is much easier when you sit down to grade them. 


As believers in Christ, like those stacks of papers, there are certain labels people should see on us as the Holy Spirit helps to produce them. They should not be confused about our transformation. According to Galatians 5:22, the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in us as we submit our lives to Him. When people see us, they should notice the labels of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. Our lives shouldn't be revealing worldly or ungodly labels. We are made new in Christ, and the Holy Spirit is at work to grow us.

Takeaway:  
I pray that you will take away a few things about the Holy Spirit from this devotion. If the LORD desires for you to succeed in your calling as an educator, even more He wants you to succeed in your relationship with Him. So, He sent His Spirit to lead and guide you. Just when we need it, He will remind you of God's will and His way. He will nudge you to keep making your relationship with Christ a priority. He will assist you in understanding the overall truth, faith, and purpose. Finally, He will help you to display the correct spiritual labels as you walk in true relationship.

Prayer: 
​Lord, I thank you for allowing me to see the work of the Holy Spirit through the function of a sticky note. Thank you for your Holy Spirit's guidance, understanding, direction, and correction in my life. Help me to allow your Spirit to do the work in me, for my good and your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. 


Please Comment Below: 
Which function of the sticky note helped you learn more about the Holy Spirit's job in our lives? Explain.