The More

In John 20:21-22 Jesus speaking to his disciples said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Does that mean that they have experienced all that God would impart to them as followers of Christ? Is there no room for greater intimacy and new experiences of His divine presence in their lives? Obviously, there was more. Jesus speaking to his disciples again said, “and now I will send the Holy Spirit just as my father promised but stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (Luke 24:49) He speaks again, in Acts 1:4-5 “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” In 1969, as a new believer in Christ I saw in others a greater joy, a greater depth of relationship, and power that I simply did not have at that time in my life. It caused me to hunger and thirst for more, though I did not know what the more was! That is when I heard about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I did not understand the term theologically, but I did believe that all good gifts came from God. I will never forget that day, that very moment when kneeling before the Lord I experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I now knew experientially what I had hungered for, more of his control of my life, more of what I needed to live my life in a way that would honor him and bless others. In my love for the body of Christ I have asked the same question the apostles did, “Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit since you believed?”

Romans 12:9

“Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another, and never play the role of an actor wearing a mask. Despise evil and embrace everything that is good and virtuous.” (Romans 12:9 TPT) Truth is vital if we are to enjoy loving relationships with God and others. So much of what we call love is clouded by self-protection, avoidance, fear of loss and the negative judgments from others. How can we hope to love others and honor God if our behavior is masked with falsehood? We must despise evil and wholeheartedly embrace what is good and virtuous! Only as we abandon ourselves to the love of God and the truth of scripture can we hope to find the strength to cling to that which is good, virtuous, genuine, and to resist the temptations and evils of this world. Heavenly Father, help me to walk in genuine love with you, enabling me to rise above the fear of man. Help me to despise what the evil and all that would compromise my testimony with others and my walk with you. Help me Holy Spirit to hold fast to that which is good, that I may draw closer to you, nurture my soul, and strengthen my relationships with those that I love. --George Stahnke, Devotional 02.01.2023