Mon. July 28th :: Acts 2 :: The Gift

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter
and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.

(Acts 2.37-38)

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Peter promised those who heard the gospel that if they would repent and be baptized they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

But what is that?

What does it mean to have God’s Holy Spirit working inside you?

To be clear, I don’t believe that the Holy Spirit can be identified with something as external as a ‘babbling tongue’ or a ‘tingling feeling running down your leg’. It’s something more than that. But what? What is the gift of the Holy Spirit?

What do you think?

Perhaps the gift of the Holy Spirit is the literal presence of God with us. Perhaps it is that still small voice urging us—if we listen—to live as God’s children, bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. Perhaps the gift of the Holy Spirit is the ability to hear the voice of Jesus not only through the Scriptures or through preachers, but in our own hearts as we quiet ourselves before God.

Since I believe that, I suppose the next question is the more important one: What is God’s Spirit telling me today? What word do I need to hear from God, and then act upon?

How about you?