God’s Great Power

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. – Acts 1, verse 8 Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading, titled God's Great Power, was written by Lisa M. Samra and read by Tony Collier. – Acts chapter 1, verses 1-9 I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. After His suffering, He presented Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command. Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. 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.

After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. Our city fell almost dark after a massive ice storm took down miles of power lines, leaving many of our friends without electricity to heat their homes in the dead of a frigid winter. Families longed to see repair trucks in their neighborhoods working to restore power. Later, I learned that a church parking lot served as a temporary command center for the vehicles being sent out to assist those in need. Hearing about the repair trucks brought to mind Jesus' command to His disciples in the book of Acts. For forty days after His resurrection, Christ appeared to His disciples to encourage and teach them about the kingdom of God. Before Jesus' return to heaven, He gave them one last promise. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Christ promised that God's incomparably great power would be available to the disciples through His Spirit.

But the purpose of having power wasn't to keep it to themselves. Instead, the disciples let God empower them in the mission of telling others how to experience once more the connection to God's power and love that was broken by sin. As we go out into our communities, we have the same power and calling. Empowered by God's Spirit, we can care for those who are suffering and share how they too can have access to God's power. Let's pray. Lord, please move in our hearts to care for those in need and to share your love with our communities. Help us to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and assistance to those who are suffering. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. How have you experienced the power of God's Spirit to help you? How might you share that message with others?