We all have hopes and dreams and things we want to accomplish, but few of us are willing to do what it takes to accomplish our goals. Living the life we want requires discipline and making good choices, but it's hard to do so consistently in a world full of distractions.
When Jesus left this world and returned back to heaven, He left us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us minimize distractions, and make wise decisions and decisions that will lead us closer to Him and a life full of love, joy, and peace.
In Acts 2, days after Jesus returned to Heaven, the Holy Spirit came to earth and into the people who were believers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost takes place on the 49th day after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks.
In Acts 2:38-41, Peter said to everyone:
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
With many other words, he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
After this, the number of disciples grew, but the religious leaders of the time, the ones who killed Jesus, would not let them preach or teach about Jesus. If they did, they threw them in jail and even killed them, so the disciples and apostles had to stick together. They had to take care of each other and make sure everyone had enough resources and food to eat, but when there were complaints that the widows in the group weren’t receiving their portions of food, 7 deacons, including one named Stephen, were chosen to help address the specific needs of the growing Christian community.
The Bible says Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power. He performed great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). Because of this, many Jewish leaders began to argue with Stephen. When they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke, they accused Stephen of blasphemy, arrested him, and stoned him to death.
As Stephen was being stoned, he had a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This vision gave him strength and peace as he faced his martyrdom.
Stephen’s boldness and courage in the face of death demonstrated the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, but it also marked the beginning of a period of intense persecution against Christians. Stephen's unwavering faith and willingness to suffer for his beliefs serve as an inspiration to Christians to this day.
Every day we must make choices that either lead us closer to God or further away from Him. Some of those choices are easy, but many of them are hard. Few choices are more difficult than what Stephen had to decide: listen to the Holy Spirit that guided him and face being stoned to death, or turn his back on God and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Being a disciple and follower of God won’t always be easier, but it will be worth it.
Something(s) to Think About
1 - What is your biggest takeaway from this post?
2 - What do you/can you do to slow down and listen for guidance from the Spirit that Jesus left all His believers?
3 - Choosing to make great decisions consistently is tough with so many distractions. Who do you want to become, what goals do you have for yourself, and how do you stay focused on those goals?
4 - When distractions become strong enough to knock you off your path, how do you identify that, regroup, and get back on track?
My Prayer
My Father. Thank you for the many blessings you have given me, but thank you specifically for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and second chances. Thank you for leaving a piece of you with me so that I can have guidance when making difficult decisions, and thank you for always giving me opportunities to stop and course-correct whenever I need to. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
For a printable PDF version of this post, click here: Stephen: The First Martyr
Comentarios