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The Power of God in my Life ...

Wednesday, May 18, 2016. Sometimes we long for someone who can help us. We need a type of big brother, whom we can call when trouble is near. We see this in politics sometimes. Those, who promise to be strong, get a lot of votes. People long for justice and order and security. And we hope for God's power to help us, by mighty force.

The Holy Spirit …

Yet, when the New Testament talks about the power of God, it first talks about the power of the Holy Spirit. And that is different. The power of the Holy Spirit is not first a power by physical force. It is a power of truth, love and free commitment. It is a power of active love, of reflection, of knowledge and insight. The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans about this power of the spirit:

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15, 8-13

There is something very special in the power of the spirit. When Paul starts to quite these verses from the Old Testament, he talks about glorification of God, about praise and about joy. Rejoice! Praise! Laude! These are the words which come again and again, when the bible talks about God's saving power, about the work he did in Jesus.

Joy …

We can be focused on things which do not work. We can be focused on behaviour which is bad. We can be focused on injustice, on crime, on lies, on power struggle, on difficulties, on pain, on bodily harm. And of course, all these things cause pain and struggle in our life. We live in a world which has all this.

But when we open our heart and our mind to the spirit of God, things change. The world is not just injustice, pain and struggle. It is also God's world, which he created from the very beginning, and which reflects his greatness, his majesty, his creativity, his wonderful ideas. Creation includes the physical world, the earth as a wonderful planet, the animals and the human race as a whole, black and white, eastern and western, men and women, young and old!

The Holy Spirit brings joy. It brings peace. It brings perspective. The Holy Spirit brings joy, full joy, deep joy, lasting joy! The mercy of God is great, it is established in Christ Jesus. Everything is done. And now, the invitation stands, for every human, to join the great feast, to come in white robes, to enter with a renewed heart, made new through Jesus. Thank you, eternal father! So let us celebrate his mercy, and the joy which comes through the spirit, today and tomorrow and for all eternity. (RWEP) ... more texts