Gifts With Power

In ‘The Lion King,’ Timon and Pumba’s attitudes toward Simba change when they learn he’s

supposed to be the king. Simba tries to convince them that nothing has changed. “I’m still the same guy!” he says. They reply, “Yeah, but with power!” His friends see that there’s potential for Simba to do great things with his power.

People in power tend to put heavy burdens on those under them. These kinds of leaders boast about the power they hold and try to instill fear in the people in their charge.

As Christians, we know that we possess something greater than just our own power; we have within us the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. Yes, there is much we can do on our own; there's much more we can do when we draw on His gifts, including strength, wisdom, and guidance. 

For example, you may ask the Spirit to pour more of His graces upon you when struggling with an illness or other hardship. With His gifts, you’ll have the power to bear the burden with more strength and peace than if you tried to carry it alone. Every day, ask Him; He’ll give you what you need, and more.

Ask the Spirit to guide you with His wisdom when you’re contemplating a difficult decision. Ask Him to give you insight to know what His will is – which will ultimately be for your greater benefit – and the courage you need to do it.

Draw on the Spirit’s strength and patience when your kids ask you to play with them or help them with their homework and you’d rather watch the game on TV. With His help, you’ll savor that time with the kids and create happy memories for them.

Ask the Spirit to give you His wisdom when discussing serious topics with your teens. Pray for the words to say – and then pay attention to what comes to mind. Pray also for your teens to hear and accept those words. 

If we draw on the gifts of the Spirit at work in us, we’ll be able to achieve much more than we could on our own, and with a ripple effect of love and peace for the people around us. We boast not of our own power but that of the Spirit.

This weekend we’ll celebrate Pentecost. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to pour more of His gifts upon us so that we may think, speak, and act with His power and authority. 

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory...” –Ephesians 3:20-21

“Lord, let me draw on the power of Your Spirit to accomplish more than I could ever do on my own.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...