44 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. 45 For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
Leviticus 11:44-45 ESV
As God worked with Moses to establish the nation of Israel, he called them to a different life. Externally and internally they were meant to stand out. What they ate, their work patterns, even their clothing had well defined expectations. And, they strained against the expectations at every crossroads.
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
Luke 7:51 ESV
Stephen traced their shared Hebrew heritage in the face of an angry, judgemental crowd. His brief history showed God’s hand on them from the beginning. He highlighted God’s provision and their rejection. God’s love and their whining. God’s command and their disobedience. He summed it up by saying they, “always resist the Holy Spirit.” That is a strong accusation. But, they had made their choice, generation after generation.
55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Luke 7:55 ESV
Stephen was the first of many recorded in Acts to pay with his life for his decision to not follow the generational trend of rejecting the Holy Spirit as he trusted Jesus as his Messiah. He was full of the Holy Spirit. He embraced Jesus. He did not seek his own glory or comfort or even the contentment of familiar traditions. He had consecrated his body as a living vessel of worship, whatever the consequence.
Do I resist the Holy Spirit’s working and leading? Or, do I allow the fullness of the Holy Spirit to guide my everyday? I know I have a different relationship with the Holy Spirit than the Hebrew nation in the Old Testament did, and for that I am thankful. But, my habits can still silence his voice in my choices and lifestyle. May it never be said that I “always resist” the Holy Spirit. My I actively guard against that and humbly follow with willing obedience.
Precious Holy Spirit, thank you for your presence in my life. Thank you for whispering directions throughout each day and continuing to raise my awareness to listen and my heart to obey. Continue to knock down any walls of resistance that my heart tries to construct. Keep opening my eyes to the full power and meaning of the bible. Thank you for the faithful, wise teacher you have been for millennia. In Jesus name, amen.
Erin (6intow)
Sixty-six books in a year 