It's raining... It's pouring....
Earlier this evening I went for a walk with our dog to get the mail. There were dark clouds above me and flashes of lightening off in the distance but I thought I had some time before the rain came. I was wrong. As soon as I closed the mailbox, the drops began to fall. Pepsi and I ran to our house, only a couple of hundred of meters away, as the rain poured down on us. We were soaked. Now I'm here over an hour later and I can still hear rain pounding on our roof. If I walk outside, even for a second, I will get wet.
Yesterday was Pentecost: the day we celebrate God pouring out His Spirit on the followers of Jesus. The story of what happened on the day of Pentecost the year Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven is found in Acts 2:1-41.
The phrase that caught my attention is found in the prophecy from Joel that Peter preaches: "In the last days, God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people."" (Acts 2:17a) When I think of God pouring His Spirit out on us, the imagery of water pouring on someone or something comes to mind. Water is poured into a glass filling it. Rain pours down from the sky soaking me. You get the idea. And that's what it is like with the Holy Spirit. He doesn't just sprinkle the Spirit - like salt on food. He pours the Spirit out that we may be filled to overflowing.
Early in the passage it reads: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4). That "and" is so important. In this story, being "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) resulted in proclaimation of God's wonders in many languages and many people being baptized. Throughout the New Testament we see many different actions and attitudes following the "and". But it is important to note it is there: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spririt and......" It is only with the Holy Spirit's presence and power in our lives that we can do the work, or even live the life, that God desires us to.
God is pouring out His Spirit freely. What a gracious Gift! I hope that you are in the practice of receiving God's Spirit in your daily life. If not, why not start today? Remember, it's pouring out there!
Yesterday was Pentecost: the day we celebrate God pouring out His Spirit on the followers of Jesus. The story of what happened on the day of Pentecost the year Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven is found in Acts 2:1-41.
The phrase that caught my attention is found in the prophecy from Joel that Peter preaches: "In the last days, God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people."" (Acts 2:17a) When I think of God pouring His Spirit out on us, the imagery of water pouring on someone or something comes to mind. Water is poured into a glass filling it. Rain pours down from the sky soaking me. You get the idea. And that's what it is like with the Holy Spirit. He doesn't just sprinkle the Spirit - like salt on food. He pours the Spirit out that we may be filled to overflowing.
Early in the passage it reads: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4). That "and" is so important. In this story, being "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) resulted in proclaimation of God's wonders in many languages and many people being baptized. Throughout the New Testament we see many different actions and attitudes following the "and". But it is important to note it is there: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spririt and......" It is only with the Holy Spirit's presence and power in our lives that we can do the work, or even live the life, that God desires us to.
God is pouring out His Spirit freely. What a gracious Gift! I hope that you are in the practice of receiving God's Spirit in your daily life. If not, why not start today? Remember, it's pouring out there!
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