“…Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5
Dear Ones:
One of the saddest commentaries of “powerlessness” is found in the history of Israel, when, during and perhaps after the deportation she would declare: “…Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off on our part.” (Ez. 37:11) If there is one thing this declaration reveals to us is that hopelessness is a disabling and destructive attitude of mind. On the other hand, if ever there was light at the end of the tunnel, a glimmer of an answer to the need, and a certain provision of something better, it is in the words of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist: “…And thou, child shalt be called a prophet of the Highest…to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76,79). When Jesus returns from the wilderness after being tempted of the devil, then stands in the synagogue to read the Scriptures: He chooses this passage: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed Me to PREACH (DECLARE) the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18) In the face of hopelessness comes a mighty word of hope, the things that are impossible with man, are possible with God. What IS this hope, this certainty of an answer, and the POWER, not only to believe, but to rise up and go forward, with the weight of sin and shame having been removed, with the new law of the Spirit of Life in the heart, operating and working wonderfully? It is a promise, the very covenant commitment of the living God, our Creator and Redeemer, who is WAITING TO BE WANTED, ready to be found by those who seek Him.
The day of Pentecost, after the Spirit of God had been “poured out” according to the prophecy of Joel, Peter rose to declare to the people: “For the promise (the promise of being able to receive, and being given, the Holy Spirit by God) is unto you, and to your children, and to ALL that are afar off, even as many as the Lord shall call.” (Acts 2:39) The promise of the Eternal God was predicated on a “profession” of the heart. For anyone who was truly willing to repent, to change the entire manner of thinking with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized as a sign and declaration of that commitment to believe and follow Him, the Holy Spirit would be given to come and dwell in the heart, making of that believer a new creature in Christ. But what of the POWER? Profession without power is empty, indeed, sounding brass and a tinkling symbol.
After the crucifixion of Christ, and His resurrection, He told His disciples: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) The Spirit that was given was, “…not a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) This is the Spirit of Pentecost which resides in heart, spirit, and mind of the believer. Why? To empower him or her to LIVE, to LOVE, to SERVE GOD. It is Christ IN you, the HOPE of glory. Herein is the wonderful, and most certain expectation…that God by His Spirit is IN us to meet every need that we can BE what He has called us to be, walking in the light, and NOT prisoners of darkness.
Dear Father, fulfill in us Thy promise today, as we profess the truth of Who Thou art, and what You are to us according to Your word. Remove any and all trace of “hopelessness,” strengthening our hearts to embrace Thee, our most blessed and certain Hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad