Mon.’s Devo - The Gift and Power of the Holy Spirit

Read: Acts 1-3
Jesus did not come to do away with the law but fulfill it. He had just fulfilled three of the feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits and he told them of the forth one, Pentecost, which they were going to see fulfilled. Pentecost was the beginning of the barley season and one of the things they did during the feast was to count the omer. The omer was a seed. They would put one omer every day from Passover to Pentecost in a bowl. They would count 50. Pete means fifty. This was the seed that was multiplying and after Pentecost there would be a great harvest of wheat. These seeds stood for the Word of God that had been planted in their hearts through Jesus’ ministry but was about to explode on Pentecost. All the Jewish men were to come to Jerusalem three times a year for the different feasts. That is why there were so many men there from different places. They were given the seed of salvation to take back to their cities and spread it. God did a great miracle that day and allowed the disciples to speak the languages of the different tribes of people that came. We need this gift to help spread the gospel. I have heard of people that actually went to foreign places and could speak their language.
God still gives out tongues to anyone who will ask. It is a language that God can understand even though we don’t. It is a great gift to use in intercession because we don’t always know the will of God and how to pray. Praying in an unknown language or “tongues” bypasses our understanding and prays the heart of God.
The main reason for sending the Holy Spirit was to give them power to be witnesses. “Witnesses” means “martyr”. God was giving them power to lay their life down for the gospel. That is what we do when we witness. We die to ourselves for a greater cause. The disciples were going to need this power because every one of them would be a martyr just like Jesus was.
Lord, help us to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and open our minds and hearts to receive everything you have for us.