Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Unveiled

"But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT

This past Sunday, our church body did a beautiful thing. Pastor Eric was preaching another one of his God-inspired sermons. It was based on Luke 11:14-28. At the end, he invited all of those who wanted to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to stand. He made sure that we didn't feel as if we were "peer pressured" into standing. It was purely to be a personal, spiritual choice.

Do you know what happened? As if on cue, most--if not all--of us stood up. Then he said to hold out your hands as if you were receiving a gift from someone. So we did. Then he prayed for us and told us that this is what the Holy Spirit is to each and every one of us--a personal gift to us from our Father.

And what do you do with a gift that someone special gives you? Do you just accept it and put it in your pocket? Do you accept it and just throw it under your bed? Do you accept it and put it in a closet?

No. Most likely you would open it and admire it. You would hold it and treat it with respect. You would cherish it.

Don't be scared of the Holy Spirit. It was given to us from our Father as a gift to help us--to help you--in your life journey. It wasn't a gift that God picked randomly. No. He spent great thought and lovingly picked this out especially for you. It is to give you freedom. That is why this verse is so beautiful.

Be unveiled! Be real! Claim your gift of the Holy Spirit and reveal the true power of your faith into your life, your world!

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