June 18 - Given to Whom?

the Holy Spirit

whom God has given

to those who obey him

Acts 5:32

 

How are we filled with the Spirit? Today's answer is obedience. Let's call it alignment or direction.

 

Imagine the Holy Spirit as a treasure. (That's not hard. The Spirit definitely is a treasure.)

 

Now imagine a treasure map. How do we get to the "X" that marks this holy spot? The simplest way is to follow heaven's map, and biblically, obedience is what points us in the right direction.

 

Throughout the Bible, obedience is path that leads to life.

 

Now, we definitely the grace of God along that path, to be sure. From time to time, we'll all stray, and like the lost sheep and the prodigal son(both in Luke 15), we all need a graceful Father and diligent Shepherd. We all need frequent forgiveness and repeated reorientation, but that doesn't deny that obedience is the path that leads to eternal life. And Acts declares very simply that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him.

 

If you want the treasure of being filled with the Holy Spirit, try the most direct route: Obedience.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who tried obedience

and now has the Spirit

as his compass