Friends, let’s continue where we left off with Peter yesterday, because his message about our spiritual preparation is crucial, especially as we live with the expectation that Jesus can return for His Church at any moment. What Peter is telling us, as the universal Church of believers, is exactly what the disciples did as they waited for the promised Holy Spirit just before Pentecost in the upper room. They devoted themselves to prayer, they loved one another with the love of Christ, and they served others with their individual God given gifts.
The three words that Pastor Mary shared during Sunday’s Challenge fit beautifully with today’s passage. If you were not able to join us here are those three words, and if you were with us, this is a reminder:
- First, Contrast. As believers, we need to remember that it is alright to look different from everyone within the world; because as believers, we are being shaped by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Christ. So, our love and hearts for Christ and others will Contrast with the love and hearts of non-believers.
- Second, Clarification. When life feels uncertain, Pentecost is one of many great reminders that God alone is always certain, He is in control, and we can count on Him. We can have great joy and rest in God’s supernatural peace as we trust in Him and His timing and direction for our lives. We must allow the Holy Spirit to utilize our lives so others can be blessed by our spiritual gifts to see Jesus and to hopefully turn to Him.
- Third, Confirmation. Through our salvation, we have been called to a place of transformation. God does not want to stop by saving us. Remember, we are sanctified through our salvation. That means God has set us apart from the world, and the Holy Spirit is working in and through each one of us all of the time, even right now, to draw us away from sin and closer to Jesus and His holiness.
Let’s allow God’s Word to continue to prepare our hearts to celebrate Pentecost together on Sunday. Today, we need to keep in mind that sanctification is happening within us, right now, and that means the Holy Spirit wants to use our surrendered lives to selflessly love someone else into Jesus’s arms. Ask the Holy Spirit, in prayer, to use you and your uniquely appointed gifts to glorify the Lord and to lovingly grow His Kingdom by serving His creation.
1 Peter 4:7-11 (NLT)
7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus so we have the perfect example of how our transformed lives through our salvation in Him should look different, and contrast from the lives of those living for this world. Please clarify the Truth for our hearts today, so that we can be filled with Your joy and peace as we trust that You alone are in control. Confirm within our hearts that You are sanctifying us all of the time, as we want You, Holy Spirit, to be our Guide. We need Your guidance in our prayer time as we want to grow closer to You, so that we can love others more deeply and serve others more faithfully with our appointed gifts. Thank You for continuing to prepare our hearts for Pentecost as You draw us closer to Jesus. We ask all of this in Jesus’s Holy Name. Amen.