July 11

Read: Acts 1:4-8

It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (Acts 1:7).

I Accept What Thou Dost Give

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” The promise is crystal-clear. But what is the nature of that power? In our walk with God we shall avoid some dark days if we understand the limits as well as the wonder of His promised blessings.

In the light of this promised power these early Christians raised unChristian hopes. They wanted to know more than it is given man to know. Jesus told them plainly that the promise of the Father did not include that kind of power for men. There are some things that God “hath put in his own power.”

God does not give us power to do or to get just anything that we want. The power of the Holy Spirit is not power to make money; it is not power to conquer our enemies or to bend others to our will; it is not intellectual power that enables us to see into the future or that makes us men of genius. If we have a measure of these abilities the Holy Spirit gives us power to keep them dedicated to holy purposes. If we do not have such abilities He gives us power to live useful and happy lives without them.

In this sense the power of the Holy Spirit is the power to accept our human limitations; the power to let God be God and gladly to acknowledge our dependence upon Him while at the same time we pledge Him our supreme allegiance.

Prayer For Today

Our Father, I accept the kind of power Thou dost choose to give: “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us… Amen (Ephesians 3:14, 20-21).