Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"One Gift for One Reason"
May 27, 2020
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. ... But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy. ... And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Imagine the scene. You've got dozens of people cooped up in a house in Jerusalem, including the eleven disciples, the women who visited the tomb, Jesus' mother Mary, and any number of other hangers-on. They've all been together more or less since the resurrection (allowing some time for travel to Galilee and back). And now they are just waiting—waiting for Jesus to keep His promise and send the Holy Spirit.
But then the day came. And all of them, young or old, great or small, male or female, shared in the exact same gift. God made no divisions among His people. The sound of the wind filled the whole house, not just part of it. The "divided tongues" were like flames taken from a single fire and rested on every one of them. They all received the same Holy Spirit.
God makes no divisions among us today, either. If you are a believer in Jesus, you have received the Holy Spirit He promised us. Your sins are forgiven and your shame is taken away, because you belong to Jesus, who died and rose for you. It doesn't matter if you are a pastor or a layperson, rich and educated or poor and illiterate. You belong to God; you share in the Holy Spirit, and He will use you in the ways He has planned for your life.
And why would God do this? Peter explains. God did it so that "everyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." God can use every Christian, even you, to share the Good News of Jesus with others. It doesn't matter if you feel like you don't know what to say. The Holy Spirit will deal with your heart and your tongue and teach you what to say. All He wants from you is a willing heart.
So try Him! Ask Him to send you someone who needs to know about Jesus. Ask the Spirit to show you exactly what you should do and say. If you're scared, tell the Spirit that, too. He is very gentle with us. And then wait and see what He does.
THE PRAYER: Lord Holy Spirit, please live in me and use me to bring others to Jesus. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. How and when did you become a believer in Jesus?This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
2. How have you seen the Holy Spirit working in your life?
3. Have you ever talked to anybody about Jesus? What was it like?
How and when did you become a believer in Jesus?
No comments:
Post a Comment