"You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:48-49)
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
I was in prayer a few weeks ago with the rest of the pastoral staff. On Tuesdays, we spend about an hour seeking God and praying for our church and it’s attenders. That day, we had a deep spirit of intercession come on us, and I felt compelled to pray and ask God, “Lord, where is the power you promised us? We are filled with the Holy Spirit, we do our best to live concecrated lives. We work tiressly for your kingdom, but we don’t (very often) see the miracles. We don’t see the sudden healing of people with all kinds of hurts. What are we missing as shepherd leaders of your people?”
The Lord’s answer was instantanious- “You can’t have the power of Jesus without having His heart.”
I was very humbled by God’s response. I admit, because of my primary livelyhood as a paramedic, my heart can be very hard at times. I tell myself that it’s a defense mechanism, something that has to be in place to deal with the tragedy I see. Unfortunately, it’s not what God wants in His children, no matter what the reason.
Jesus’ heart was defined by two primary focus’- He loved God with all of His heart, soul, mind, and strength. After that, He loved the people around Him.
Such a simple way to live. It’s so simple that we can’t comprehend it. We look for things we can do, things we can study, things we can add to our spiritual resume’ that will make us more spiritual. Jesus kept it very simple- Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29-31).
Why do we want spritual power in our lives? Is it to proclaim God’s goodness to the world? Is it to relieve spiritual and physical suffering in others, or is it to draw attention to ourselves?
Do we really love God and others to the point of being willing to live a crucified life, or are we content with the trickle of presence and power that we have now?
Some questions to ponder…
Love and blessings!
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