THE COMING OF THE SPIRIT

“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 NIV)

The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost instilled in the church its mission and ministry. Our purpose is to be Christ’s witnesses -- beginning in our community and extending throughout all the world.

The continued growth of the church and proclamation of the gospel is dependent upon us. The gospel is no longer dependent upon Peter, James, John, Paul, and Silas, and all the early Christians. It is dependent upon each one of us in our life and witness. It is an awesome task and incredible responsibility, but remember we are not alone in this. The Spirit is always with us, and that’s what keeps us going.

Pentecost is about power, the coming of the Spirit to empower the church to fulfill its purpose and calling. 

-- Adapted  from James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore in “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!”  

#6374

FREE AND RESPONSIBLE

“Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  (Philippians 2:3-4 RSV)

Don’t be afraid of yourself, live your individuality to the full -- but for the good of others. Don’t copy others in order to buy fellowship, or make convention your law instead of living the righteousness.

To become free and responsible. For this alone were human beings created, and he who fails to take the Way which could have been his shall be lost eternally. 

-- Dag Hammarskjold in “Markings”

#5380

THE HEART OF CONFESSION

“If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9 ESV)

At the heart of it, confession involves taking appropriate responsibility for what we have done. This is not easy to do. We try to slip out of it. What starts as a confession often ends up an excuse: "I didn't mean to yell at you; I was having a bad day."

To confess means to own up to the fact that our behavior wasn't just the result of bad parenting, poor genes, jealous siblings, or a chemical imbalance from too many Twinkies. Any or all of those factors may be involved. Human behavior is a complex thing. But confession means saying that somewhere in the mix was a choice, and the choice was made by us, and it does not need to be excused, explained, or even understood. The choice needs to be forgiven. The slate has to be wiped clean.

-- John Ortberg in “The Life You've Always Wanted” 

#5102

A PRAYER FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."  (Psalm 33:12)

Most gracious Heavenly Father and Sovereign Lord:

There is no greater feeling of liberty than to experience the freedom from sin and death that You provided for us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Today our hearts and souls are free to praise You. For this, we are beyond thankful.

As we approach Independence Day, we are reminded of all those who have sacrificed for our freedom, following the example of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Let us not take freedom, both physical and spiritual, for granted. May we always remember that a very high price was paid for all of our freedoms. Bless those who have served and continue to give their lives for our freedoms. With favor and bounty, meet their needs and watch over their families.

Lord God, we are so thankful for this nation -- for all the sacrifices others have made to build and defend and to protect this country. Thank You for the opportunities and freedoms we have in these United States of America. Help us to never take these blessings for granted.

Help us to live our lives in ways that glorify You, Lord. Give us the strength to be a blessing in someone's life, and grant us the opportunity to lead others into the freedom that can be found only in knowing You.

Help us to exercise our freedoms by being responsible and caring. Give us strength to do what is needed individually and collectively to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Give us the resolve to deal with racism in all its forms. Give us understanding to value life and protect the innocent and most vulnerable. Give us hope to work toward a future where justice and mercy are lived out every day.

Father God, we stand today as past generations have stood before You in times gone by, celebrating our history and reveling in all the great things that our country has achieved. On this day we rejoice in the favor You have graciously given us.

Yet, as a nation and people we have not always chosen the right way. We ask You to forgive us for these times. On this day we commit ourselves to wholeheartedly honoring and serving You. With everything that we are, we lay our lives before You. Make us a generous people, a holy nation, a people set aside to love You forever, for the sake of our people and our land. 

Lord God, today, we do not presume Your grace for our country. Our land is in need of You; our people are in need of You; our families are in need of You; our businesses are in need of You; our schools are in need of You; our government is in need of You. May we look only to You this Independence Day and be DEPENDENT on You.

Come now by Your glorious Holy Spirit, breathe new life into all of our nation. Cover us with Your mercy and Your grace, Your wisdom and Your will, so that we as a nation may be part of Your glory, so that we might see “the glory of the Lord.”

Amen.

-- Adapted from various sources

#4878

FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY

"Be careful that this freedom of yours [in Christ] does not in any way turn into an obstacle to trip those who are vulnerable." (The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:9 NJB)

Victor Frankel was a famous psychologist who survived the concentration camps of World War Two. He went on to become a leading psychologist of his time. One might think that someone who'd endured such horror might go overboard in pursuit of freedom. But Victor Frankel once said something very profound about America.  He noticed that, in New York, we have this marvelous statue to freedom: the Statue of Liberty. It shines like a beacon at the doorway of our nation. But, he suggested that perhaps we need a little balance. He suggested that perhaps, somewhere on the West Coast, we ought to erect another statue. And that would be a Statue of Responsibility.

Freedom of any kind -- to speak, to live, to work, to love -- always comes with the responsibility to seek balance as well. Paul knew this 2,000 years ago. And he tells us something we need to learn again today: The freedom we have in Christ gives us a great responsibility to care for others and treat others as well as ourselves.  And sometimes, just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. 

-- Eric Folkerth, Copyright 2000. All Rights Reserved. (Used with Permission) 

#4844

IDENTIFIED WITH GOD’S NATURE

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  (Colossians 4:6 NIV)

If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible…

Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time. 

-- Oswald Chambers


#4538

THE FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”  (Acts 2:42 NIV)

Whether fellowship is perceived as participation [in one another’s lives] or partnership, in either case it implies a responsibility to fulfill our function in the body. We usually don’t think of fellowship in terms of fulfilling a responsibility, but that is because we have lost sight of the biblical meaning of fellowship. Fellowship is not just a social privilege to enjoy; it is more basically a responsibility to assume.  

--  Jerry Bridges in  “True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia”


#4515

THE INTERESTS OF THE POOR

The Bible has been the Magna Charta of the poor and of the oppressed.  Down to modern times, no state has had a constitution in which the interests of the people are so largely taken into account; in which the duties, so much more than the privileges, of rulers are insisted upon, as that drawn up for Israel in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.  Nowhere is the fundamental truth, that the welfare of the state, in the long run, depends upon the righteousness of the citizen, so strongly laid down.  The Bible is the most democratic book in the world.

-- Thomas Huxley


#3305

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

The nature of mankind is to blame someone or something for our problems. If you don't believe that just go back and read the story of Adam and Eve. They were both well engaged in "finger pointing" efforts to take away their own personal responsibility. We grow up with all kinds of expectations of what adult life will be like and the thing that keeps smacking us in the forehead is the need for accepting responsibilities in our life. We can try and avoid it or we can accept it as from God but in either case we cannot escape the fact that we are responsible for our own behavior. Sooner or later it comes back home to roost.

-- Pastor Gary Stone

 
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