God’s Hope for Your Heart from Acts 2
THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS THROUGH REST
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. (Acts 2:3-4)
It is interesting how when the Holy Spirit first comes in power upon the followers of Jesus, He doesn’t overpower them. He comes and rests on them.
In the midst of a crowded scene where the Spirit’s power is being manifested, Peter is able to calmly and rationally stand up and deliver an address to the crowd. He’s not writhing on the ground or foaming at the mouth, but he’s not being left out, either. He’s able to operate with both his spirit and his mind because the Holy Spirit is not there to overwhelm with power, but to overflow with peace.
To operate in the Spirit isn’t about having your mind overtaken by an alien force all of the time. It’s about letting your heart be overjoyed by His presence, and letting that presence overflow into the world around you.
This is good news, because it means that true spiritual power isn’t measured by the ecstatic experiences of a moment, but by the enduring results of a godly life, and those results are available to any and everyone who will put their faith in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit in their heart.
As you go about your everyday business, may you pay attention to how the Spirit works in your life. And, may you learn to trust and surrender to Him without fear, because as you do, you’ll discover the hope that comes from this truth: the Holy Spirit works through rest.
-Pastor Phillip
AUDIO VERSION (Click here to subscribe to the daily podcast on iTunes.)
