MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD
Sometimes when we have been through a season or a time of issues and struggles it can leave us feeling discouraged and tired. The picture of someone whose head is hanging down reflects such a state. We all go through seasons like this at some stage in life and we can be left feeling bereft.
REVELATION IS WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR US TO GRASP THIS
Keep your eyes fixed on the Rock. He is your rock when you have hit rock-bottom. Build your life on the Rock. Stay close to the Rock. Find your fulfillment in the Rock. There is no rock like our God. Operate from the security of the Rock. Be amazed at your great Rock. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand!
HOW DOES THIS PICTURE OF ‘GOD THE ROCK’ APPLY TO OUR LIVES (Part 2)?
But God is also a ‘rock of offense’ to some people. Sometimes people do not
want to hear the name of Jesus. It strikes something within them that offends
them. They would rather use His name as a swear word to try and overcome the
challenge and the offense it is to them. Sometimes it can be a ‘rock of
offense’ because we just can’t figure God out and perhaps we are disappointed
that God did not act in some situation.
HOW DOES THIS PICTURE OF ‘GOD THE ROCK’ APPLY TO OUR LIVES?
He has the power to save us. This refers to salvation but extends to include His saving hand in our lives that can rescue and deliver us. His saving power and His saving grace is available right now.
GOD, MY ROCK!
The Bible uses metaphors to help us understand more of the nature and character of God. A metaphor is one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest how they are similar. One of these comparisons that the Bible uses is a picture of a rock. The Bible uses this analogy to help us understand an aspect of the greatness and wonder of God.
THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES US DIFFERENT
Acts 6:15 ‘All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.’
There was something completely different about Stephen. It seems as if he had a ‘divine radiance’. The scripture tells us that his face was like that of an angel and his accusers could not take their eyes off of him.
WHEN WE LIVE LIFE ‘FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’ IT OPENS DOORS FOR US
Stephen was a man who was full of the Holy Spirit. When it came to appointing people to handle the responsibilities and functions of ministry he was the obvious choice because of this qualification.
WE SHOULD DESIRE TO BE ‘FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’
Acts 6:5 ‘…and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…’
What an awesome thing for people to be able to say about you. Can people say this about you? Is one of the ways that people describe you as ‘full of the Holy Spirit’? This is a wonderful compliment. I pray that others would be able to say this about my life. Stephen must have been a man who desired and pursued this aspect in His life. It did not happen by accident or by default, but rather by quality decision and choice. We can also make those quality decisions and choices for our own lives.
SPIRIT-FILLED LIVING
The role that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives, if we will give Him right of way, is greater than we could ever imagine. In this study we are looking at the life of Stephen. He was considered to be the first martyr and stood out because he was described as a man who was “Full of the Holy Spirit.” Stephen was a man whose life was transformed and changed by the Spirit of God. We even see similarities between his death and the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Although we do not know much about him, his life leaves an example for us. You can read the story in Acts chapter 6 and 7.
HE GIVES YOU THE STRENGTH TO BELIEVE
In the issues and challenges of life we can sometimes be left struggling to believe. In my own life I have held on and trusted God for some things, only to later discover that God had something different in mind.