"Tarry in the city of Jerusalem,
until you are endued with power
from on high."
until you are endued with power
from on high."
Luke 24:49
The man said to his friend, "I would really like to be a Christian like you, but I couldn't live it. I'm just too weak to temptation to live the Christian life." His friend said, "Listen, I'm as weak as you are when it comes to temptation. I'm too weak to live the Christian life without the power of God. The good news is that God gives us the power of the Holy Spirit, when we receive Jesus Christ." Not that day, but a few weeks later, that man received Christ as his Lord. He shared his testimony with others, saying, "I can't live the Christian life, but the power of God in me makes the difference."
Jesus promised His disciples that God would send the Holy Spirit to live through them. Later, they were endued, or clothed, with God's power. The Holy Spirit worked through these ordinary men to change the lives of others. The Spirit of Christ is the dynamic of the Christian life. When anyone trusts in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit seals the believers life with power from God (Ephesians 1:13). The power of God is revealed in the lives of believers through faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Most of all, the believer can be sure that God is with him through the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
Don't try to live the Christian life in your own strength. Trust the living Christ to work in your life through the Spirit of God. Jesus says to us, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Let us recognize our weakness, but always remember that He is with us. Without Him, weakness, temptation, and difficulty will defeat us every time, but through the Spirit of Christ, we can say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Power from God makes all the difference.
God, I receive Your power to live a new life in Christ.
