Blessings From God’s Word: Bless Me and Revive Me, O’ God. Make Your Face to Shine Bright Upon Me, Your Servant. Psalm 119:129-136

Psalm 119:129-136 Amplified Bible

Pe.

¹²⁹
Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
¹³⁰
The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light;
Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).
¹³¹
I opened my mouth and panted [with anticipation],
Because I longed for Your commandments.
¹³²
Turn to me and be gracious to me and show me favor,
As is Your way to those who love Your name.
¹³³
Establish my footsteps in [the way of] Your word;
Do not let any human weakness have power over me [causing me to be separated from You].
¹³⁴
Redeem me from the oppression of man;
That I may keep Your precepts.
¹³⁵
Make Your face shine [with pleasure] upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
¹³⁶
My eyes weep streams of water
Because people do not keep Your law.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

Gloria, In Excelsis Deo, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Blessings From God’s Word …

Make your face shine with pleasure on your servant and teach me your decrees.

— Psalm 119:135

The words of the Psalmist from verse 135 “Make your face shine on your servant” echoes the great blessing found in the High Aaronic prayer Numbers 6:24-26.

There God explains how to give his people a blessing, saying:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Here God conveys to his people that He has turned His face upon them, sees them and promises to be gracious to them, to love and vigilantly protect them.

In our reading from the Psalms for today, the psalmist sees the light of God’s Word, and his passion for God grows, leading to a greater thirst for God’s Word.

As he reads and meditates, ponders and absorbs, the writer’s understanding of God’s love, mercy, and compassion deepens and his longing for God increases.

The intensity of his passion for God leads him even to pant for God’s Word!

Another important thing to note here is that the psalmist calls himself God’s servant.

Connecting God’s blessing with service, the psalmist reminds us that blessings do not stop when they land on our doorstep.

God blesses us—his servants—so that we can serve and be a blessing to the people around us.

Go ahead and ask God for his blessing, because God wants to bless you.

He also wants us to be keenly attentive to his Word, to praise Him, to pray and to worship Him and to learn His statutes, to revive, actively serve in his world.

Teach Me Your Statutes, O God …

God’s word is a treasure filled with fine riches that teach us about the God who created us and how to live in a way that pleases Him.

Often, we can disconnect God’s word from our lives and make reading His word a mere intellectual pursuit or religious practice.

Psalm 119 is a beautiful prayer that asks God to deeply connect the psalmist’s life with the word of God.

One of the most oft repeated phrases the psalmist passionately prays is for God to teach him to live by his statutes, which appears Psalm 119 at least ten times:

“Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:12

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18

“When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:26

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” Psalm 119:33

“The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!” Psalm 119:64

“You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:68

“Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.” Psalm 119:73

“Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:124

“I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!” Psalm 119:25

“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” Psalm 119:135

“Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!“ Psalm 119:169

We could, would, should be all be the wiser to make these verses (and the whole psalm) an essential element of our daily prayer life, our heart cry to our Savior.

Ah, the Sweetest Mystery of Life …

Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:6Amplified Bible

¹⁶When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the activities [of mankind] that take place upon the earth—how some men seem to sleep neither day nor night— ¹⁷and I saw all the work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though man may labor in seeking, he will not discover; and [more than that], though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, he will not be able to find it out.

Men Are in the Hand of God

9 For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

²It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath. ³This evil is in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all. Also, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they go to the dead. ⁴[There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. ⁵For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they no longer have a reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten. ⁶Indeed their love, their hatred and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share [in this age] in anything that is done under the sun.

The Searcher’s claim is quite clear: life is too complicated, too vast, too filled with conflicting elements for any one of us to figure out all the answers.

Though we stay up all night and day, trying to think through and understand the complicated events that bring to pass the circumstances of our lives, we will never fully understand.

The Bible attaches no stigma to trying to understand life.

Rather, the pursuit of knowledge is everywhere encouraged in Scripture.

We must never adopt the attitude of anti-intellectualism that characterizes some segments of Christianity today.

We are to reason and think about what God is doing and what life gives us.

But we must always remember that no matter how much we try to think about life, mysteries will still remain.

We do not have enough data, nor do we have enough ability to see life in its totality to answer all the questions.

We must be content with some degree of mystery.

Though the wisest man of the ancient world wrote these words, he admits that humans cannot know all the answers.

He even says that diligence in labor will not unravel life’s mysteries: Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning.

We will still be left collectively knitting our brows, collectively scratching our heads, and asking the eternally unanswerable question: “Why, Me, Lord”?

Even when people claim to know the answers behind what happens to us, they are really only deceiving themselves.

Many people are unwilling to accept the truth of the precepts of Scripture until they can “come to fully, completely, utterly,” understand everything in it.

But if you and I are waiting for that, you will never make it -“failure to thrive” .

Although this book Ecclesiastes was written almost 2,500 years ago, it is still true, even in our age of advanced knowledge, no one can find all the answers.

We must diligently search out the statutes of God – through prayer and study.

When you and I think about our own life, about how many of the things that have happened to us have been determined by events over which we had zero control—events that had to fall together in a certain pattern before they could ever come to pass [by God’s Plan]—you, I, can see how true these words are.

No one can find out all the answers.

The sweetest mystery to life is that the destiny of our lives may all hung upon a simple decision to go or not to go to a church on a particular Sunday because we had some sort of “issue, grievance, grudge etcetera,” against the church itself.

Learning something about God’s precepts for our “Christian living” may just be revealed on that day during the course of praise, worship, reading of scripture.

We have to continuously place ourselves directly in the path of the Word of God.

We have to continuously stay passionate about letting God work in us and also through us by means of the unmatched power of His transformative Word.

How can we understand that strange merging of simplicity and complexity?

The Searcher of Ecclesiastes continuously and constantly argues that life is too complicated without the Word of God, for us ever to answer all the questions.

We will inevitably run out of brain power when, all by ourselves, we keep trying to be “a Sermon in Shoes Christian” finding our answers to the mystery of life.

Is understanding everything in Scripture necessary before accepting it as truth?

A Puzzle and a Song …

Romans 11:30-12:3Amplified Bible

³⁰Just as you once were disobedient and failed to listen to God, but have now obtained mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now become disobedient so that they too may one day receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you. ³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all [Jew and Gentile alike].

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and decisions and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways! ³⁴For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? ³⁵Or who has first given to Him that it would be paid back to him? ³⁶For from Him [all things originate] and through Him [all things live and exist] and to Him are all things [directed]. To Him be glory and honor forever! Amen.

Dedicated Service

12 ^[a]Therefore I urge you, ^[b]brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. ²And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be ^[c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

³For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

I love puzzles but it bothers me and it frustrates me to no end the challenge of sitting still long enough and putting together any 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Like my wife, some people will go online, just to do the most complex Sudoku.

She has developed a system whereby she just systematically “breezes through.”

That is not me, either …

I like Sudoku … but I cannot just “breeze through” them like she does.

I watch her, admire her ability to “order and sort out” all of the numbers.

I just need take my time and pray I finish without too many mistakes.

Too many mistakes … I just shut the game down as quickly as possible.

Revealing that sometimes our puzzles can end up puzzling us.

That’s how it was for the apostle Paul.

Paul wrestled with a very personal problem.

By God’s grace he had come to know Jesus as his Savior.

As he went about doing his missionary work, many Gentiles came to faith in Jesus as Lord.

But many of his own Jewish people rejected Jesus.

It was mind boggling to him.

Were they not God’s special people chosen to share God’s love with the world?

Nevertheless, Paul was so confident of God’s great mercy he broke into song.

Paul confesses that we can never fully grasp God’s eternal plan.

Our efforts to understand God, define him, or reduce him to our level will ultimately fail.

God owes us no explanation; nor is he accountable to us—for he is God.

There is something we can do—in fact, two things.

First, Paul implies that we should keep praising God because all glory belongs to him forever.

Then Paul goes on to say that the only reasonable response to all this is to offer ourselves in complete service to God and to be completely available for his use.

Are we doing that?

By Praise and Worship, by Prayer and Meditation and Study of God’s Word,

Are we looking to God for answers to even the most uncomplicated of puzzles?

“Reviving” the “Lost Art” of “Knowing God better than we Know Ourselves?”

Do you desire to continually learn and be taught God’s word and statues?

Does your heart yearn to be taught the path of God and to fix the gaze of your heart and your soul upon Him?

How say Ye to this …?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray, ….

Lord, often we are as puzzled as the Psalmist, the Teacher and the Apostle Paul about the host of ways you deal with us. Even so, may we stand in awe of your amazing grace and respond to you with songs of praise and acts of service. Lord, cause us to continually grow in our understanding and learning of your statutes, making us wise and obedient to you. Cause us to fear your name and pursue an obedient and joyful life as Bible-saturated people who look to you for wisdom, grace, and life. Teach us your statutes and may our lives be characterized by joyful obedience to your word and by demonstrating constant dependence on you. And may you fill us ever more increasingly with your Holy Spirit, who alone, can truly teach us all your statutes.

Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.

Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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ACTS 2 – PENTECOST! GOD FULFILLS HIS PROMISE! THE HOLY SPIRIT IS POURED OUT UPON THE CHURCH.

How often do we really seriously pause and meditate upon God’s desire to be close to us and among us? It should be an important part of our understanding of God. After all, God created us all to love, serve and communicate with him.

The God of the Old and New Testaments is a Triune God who wants to be with and among His creation and His children in such a way as to celebrate them.

That’s us! So, He moves in his spirit as close to us as we will allow him to come.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens, the earth and then us, God came down and walked and talked to us, with us and among us in the garden.

God was exactly that close. God was interested in being “talking and walking” close to us, exactly because God wanted to be “talking and walking close to us.

Even after we somehow managed to get ourselves into serious trouble with sin, separated ourselves from his presence, he continually “stayed home.” He never gave up on us, let us out of his sight. God rescued humanity over and over again.

And Scripture tells us that in the fullness of time, God came to earth where the sin problem was, and still is. Jesus, the word became flesh and lived among us.

This was certainly something new, God becoming flesh! God coming among us.

Nothing, whether political, social, moral, economic or spiritual would ever be the same again. Yet although this looked different, it turns out to be the same story. It was God wanting to be among his people and to restore us to his image.

That very first Pentecost marks and celebrates the powerful beginning of a global movement of the power of God’s presence sweeping across the earth.

As we again read the account of what happened as the Spirit descended with power on God’s people, place yourself in their midst. Imagine for more than just this one Sunday’s day of Worship, what it would look like, sound like, and feel like to witness firsthand such a powerful movement of God’s Spirit.

Pentecost means so much to us as believers. The day of Pentecost changed everything for us. Today we will celebrate! Today we’ll explore walking with the Holy Spirit and how he affects our daily life so much. May your heart grow in gratitude and friendship with the Spirit today as a result of your time with him.

Today, as we gather, may there be a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit upon you!

Acts 2:1-13 Amplified Bible

The Day of Pentecost

2 When the day of ^[a]Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, ²and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit]. ⁴And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other ^[b]tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].

⁵Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout and God-fearing men from every nation under heaven. ⁶And when this sound was heard, a crowd gathered, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing those in the upper room speaking in his own language or dialect. ⁷They were completely astonished, saying, “Look! Are not all of these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears in our own language or native dialect? ⁹[Among us there are] Parthians, Medes and Elamites, and people of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and ^[c]Asia [Minor], ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and the visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism), ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—we all hear them speaking in our [native] tongues about the mighty works of God!” ¹²And they were beside themselves with amazement and were greatly perplexed, saying one to another, “What could this mean?” ¹³But others were laughing and joking and ridiculing them, saying, “They are full of sweet wine and are drunk!”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

The Holy Spirit is our greatest gift.

When the disciples received the Spirit, they began living as Jesus did.

They believed in the promise of God to always be with and among them. They finally began believing in themselves. speaking to, healing, and transforming a “conquered” world that had known no restored relationship with their Creator.

And Scripture makes it clear that our lives are to follow their example.

We have been given the same Holy Spirit as those first disciples, the same Holy Spirit who moved so powerfully in the Creation Story, revealing to us our loving heavenly Father to a world in desperate need of relationship with their Creator.

What a glorious vision comes to my soul of God quite literally; “among us!”

With that vision clearly before me, I feel there are three areas in which the Spirit would anoint us more powerfully today as he did the disciples at Pentecost.

Let’s boldly seek out all that the Spirit would do in our hearts and lives today.

The first act of the disciples upon being filled with the Spirit at Pentecost was to come out from behind the Upper Rooms “locked” doors to ‘speak’ to all who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate God’s long covenanted Day of Pentecost.

All who had gathered to worship God in the Temple, who had brought their required sacrifices of “first fruits,” a captive audience” to be blessed of God for a good harvest and a prosperous life that year, who would ‘listen,’ to the Priests and scribes explaining all the powerful acts that were going on around them.

Except, this harvest celebration was immediately recognized as being different. It was not the Priests nor the Scribes nor the Elders of the Temple speaking and preaching and teaching them. It was no longer “Temple Business” as usual.

It was a complete newcomer – Peter, it is an uneducated Galilean fisherman!

And this complete newcomer’s words were speaking mightily different words to them. Words they’d undoubtedly never heard spoken before and much to their surprise, the were words they could understand and be mightily inspired by – in every one of their own native tongues and dialects of their own native lands.

And with the preaching of Peter several thousand listeners accepted the free gift of salvation in the name of someone whom they’d probably never met nor had ever talked to nor walked side by side with nor shared a meal with or heard on any street corner nor transacted any business with – Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

In these 21st century days, we too will gather amongst people whom we have seldom or never met, whom we never or seldom shared meals with, or heard on any street corner, nor ever seriously thought to share in any celebration of God with. We are now that world community gathered outside the Temple that day.

Like those first century thousands who gathered in Jerusalem, we too, who are marked by the Spirit’s presence are disciples who move forth the power of love.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Spirit longs to use us to proclaim the goodness of God’s love to this lost and dying world.

The Holy Spirit longs to fill us with the desire to love this world the way he does.

1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all that you do be done in love.”

Galatians 5:22-23 Amplified says,

²²But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

And in Mark 12:31, Jesus says that the second greatest commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Is your life marked by love for others?

Does our life “bear good fruit” for God’s Kingdom in the name of the Father, the Son, Holy Spirit?

Or does it bear “bad fruit” “sour wine” for ‘worldly’ consumption, drunkeness?

Do you live your life in service to your heavenly Father and his children?

Seek out a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit today.

It’s the Spirit who bears the fruit of love in your life.

You cannot love nor serve others on your own, for true love and service comes solely from God.

But the Spirit longs to fill you with a desire and anointing to love and serve all others around you that they might better know the love of the heavenly Father.

The coming of the Holy Spirit also brought powerful unity to the disciples.

Acts 2:44-47 Amplified says,

⁴⁴And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] ^[a]were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. ⁴⁵And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. ⁴⁶Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

Only the Spirit can bring unity between broken, competitive, and needy people.

Only through the Holy Spirit do we have the ability to love and accept others regardless of our differences and unite toward the common goal of loving God and others wholeheartedly.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-3 Amplified,

Unity of the Spirit

4 So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation], ²with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another ^[a]in [unselfish] love. ³Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful].

In and amongst our own generations, can we genuinely say we too are a disciple marked by a desire to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?”

In and amongst our own generations, can we genuinely say before God, we too are a genuine Christian marked by grace-filled love for your fellow believers?

In and amongst our own generations, we all absolutely and desperately need to seek out, with all vigor, a greater anointing, desire from the Spirit toward unity.

We cannot be selfless in our own strength.

We need the help of the God of perfect love to pursue unity through humility.

In and amongst our own generations, seek out a desire and anointing to be a person who works tirelessly toward the goal of unity instead of division today.

In and amongst our own generations, we absolutely need to spend time in God’s presence together allowing him to transform our hearts to look more like HIS!

Lastly, Pentecost filled the disciples with the ability to connect directly to God through the avenue of the Holy Spirit.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Amplified,

⁶Yet we do speak wisdom among those spiritually mature [believers who have teachable hearts and a greater understanding]; but [it is a higher] wisdom not [the wisdom] of this present age nor of the rulers and leaders of this age, who are passing away; ⁷but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. ⁸None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood this wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; ⁹but just as it is written [in Scripture],

“Things which the eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].”

¹⁰For God has unveiled them and revealed them to us through the [Holy] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things [diligently], even [sounding and measuring] the [profound] depths of God [the divine counsels and things far beyond human understanding].

Acts 15:27-29 Amplified says,

²⁷So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we decided in our meeting]. ²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any greater burden than these essentials: ²⁹that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from [consuming] blood, and from [eating the meat of] things that have been strangled, and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell.”

These first century disciples knew God’s desires, received revelation from him, were steadily being inspired, transformed into the likeness of Christ through fellowshipping with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

We as disciples are to be marked by direct connection with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Peter had no special human ability to talk to God.

Prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter was an uneducated fisherman. Paul was zealously persecuting the followers of the very God he was trying to serve.

Peter chose his own personal safety over the very life of Jesus, who had shown him such an immeasurable degree of wisdom, forgiveness, love and grace.

It was only with the Holy Spirit that these men were able to connect to God so deeply, and we can have that same connection today.

So, in and amongst our own generations, are you a believer who is genuinely marked by direct connection with the Holy Spirit?

In and amongst our own generations, can we genuinely say before God, we all spend quality time and abundant energy, seeking his presence, his wisdom, his truth, his counsel, and his fresh “every single day of our lives,” anointing?

In and amongst our own generations, let’s be children of God who pursue deeper connection with our heavenly Father today.

In and amongst our own generations, let’s seek the face of God as the early disciples did and be believers marked by relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Spend time during guided prayer pursuing all that the Spirit would do in you.

Open your heart and mind to be transformed by his love. And commit to living your life with direct connection to the God who dwells within you.

In the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

1. Meditate on the Spirit’s desire and ability to anoint us with the power and desire to love others.

Ask him to show you how to better love others today. Ask his forgiveness for any way in which you have been hurtful to those whom he loves. And receive the anointing to love people from his heart and strength rather than your own.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31

2. Now meditate on God’s desire to use you to bring unity to his children.

Confess to God anyone who annoys you or angers you. Confess anyone whom you have a hard time loving. Ask him for his heart for that person. Ask him to fill you up with a supernatural ability to love those who are difficult or different. Ask him to help you be a person who pursues unity.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3

3. Now seek after a direct connection to the Holy Spirit.

Ask him to guide you into the knowledge of his presence. Ask him to show you the overwhelming love, grace, and anointing he has for you today. Seek out answers to any questions you have of him. May you discover a wellspring of friendship in the Holy Spirit today.

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” Psalm 73:28

“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10

“And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:13

Go

It’s crucial that we as children of God seek out all that he longs to give us.

Relationship with God is meant to be anything but stale, stagnant, and weak.

The disciples demonstrated that those filled with the Spirit of God are to be marked by adventure, mystery, and the miraculous.

God has a story for the ages written with you in mind.

He has a plan beyond what you could ever imagine if you will seek him out, trust him, and follow him.

Rest today in the fact God loves you enough to lead you away from a mundane life. Pursue his plans and watch as he fills your life with adventure and wonder.