Devotional ~ You Have the Power, Use It!

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." Acts 1:8


"When Ray and Dorothy Buker went to Burma in 1926, there were other missionaries there. These missionaries had established their own banking system and afternoon tea routine, complete with trained butlers - none of which fit Buker's concept of preaching the gospel. A former Olympian, accustomed to hardship, he wanted to go where others wouldn't, and that brought him north into China. When his wife suffered a nervous breakdown and help wasn't available, Buker prayed, read to her, and nursed her back to health. During WWII he fled for his life from the Japanese army, and when he died at ninety-two he left a legacy of souls won to Christ. Where did Buker get his grit and tenacity? Jesus said, "When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to preach with great effect." During the early days of computers, when the power went out, if you hadn't saved your work you lost it. Now an uniterruptible power supply (UPS) stops that from happening. God never intended us to operate on the world's system, His Spirit gives us: (1) Power to choose. By keeping us "established...[strong in...purpose]...having control over [our]...will and desire" (1 Co 7:37 AMP). (2) Power to endure. Handling trials with grace proves "our...power is from God...not from ourselves" (2 Co 4:7 NLT). (3) Power to overcome. "We are weak...but..we...live...by the power of God" (2 Co 13:4 RSV). (4) Power to minister. "According to the...working of his power" (Eph 3:7 RSV). (5) Power to witness. "For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power" (1 Co 4:20 RSV). You have the power, use it!"

From my devotional, 6-29-10