No Action Without Power

Devotional for Friday, October 31, 2003 by Ivie Bozeman

Acts 2:38 - 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. (NIV)

In the mall parking lot, I turned the key in the ignition. There was no response. I knew the battery had to be dead. The lights would not come on. "Dead" is a good word for the whole car when the battery is not operating. Without a battery, no lights flicker, no dashboard indicators work. Every element in the whole engine can be in fine working order, but without the battery, the car will do nothing.

I called my husband on the cell phone to come with his jumper cables. While waiting for him to arrive, I thought about how the car without a battery is like a Christian without the Holy Spirit. Right after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples just sat there, not knowing what to do.

Shortly, my husband arrived with the jumper cables. He hooked the cables between his live battery and my dead one. Soon, power flowed into my car. It could now take me on the rest of my trip.

The same thing happened to the disciples at Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit reached them, they were filled with the power needed to spread the gospel of Christ. The gathered disciples previously had all the equipment needed to do God's work -- all except the power. They needed the power of the Holy Spirit.

We need to be connected to the Holy Spirit. Without Him we are like my car -- a perfectly good engine, a capable driver, but no power.

Prayer: Lord, fill us with Your Spirit, that we may receive power to do Your work and spread Your message. Amen.

Ivie Bozeman <ivie@rose.net>
Thomasville, Georgia, USA

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