Stephen spoke tonight about the character of the Holy Spirit and how He is the only way we can be successful in our Christian lives. So often, we try to live in our own strength. We may be physically strong or mentally dexterous; we may have many skills and talents, but ultimately, we cannot achieve spiritual goals unless we depend on God’s power through His Spirit.
Often, we hold back from taking on a role in the church or in life because we feel incompetent or inadequate to fulfil this task, but that is to fail to realise how God uses the vulnerable, weak and foolish to achieve His aims. 1 Cor 1:25 reminds us that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness o God is stronger than human strength. We may hold back because we feel exposed or just stupid doing what God has said, but we need to realise that the Holy Spirit is available to help all of us. He makes the immeasurable difference to our lives, inspiring us and changing us.
Paul told the Corinthians that he often felt weak and fearful, but operated in the power of the Holy Spirit, accessing His strength, wisdom and knowledge. (1 Cor 2:1-5). The call is to be like Paul, not necessarily in what we do but in how we live our lives – being dependent on God’s Holy Spirit, who helps us (1 Cor 2:13-16).
God has always used the most unlikely of people to do His work; He specialises in ‘unlikely lads’, so to speak! The challenge is for us to use what God has given us, to do it, to live it… in and through Christ, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit as we live.
