WHY DO THE NATIONS RAGE?

Last week, I was involved in a pretty heated Facebook conversation.

It was important to me to be able to listen to both sides, and to be respectful of the differing viewpoints.

It wasn’t pleasant. Some people became very angry.

My stomach kind of clenched.

This morning, Zoë and Evan joined the church that they have been attending for some time now. She wanted us to be there.

The preacher preached a message on the work of the Holy Spirit.

1. To make us more like Jesus.

2. To give us gifts to use for God.

3. To give us power above our weaknesses.

Do you ever get up in the morning and feel the rage moving in?

Do you ever think, “How can they not see how wrong that is?”

And you kinda seethe throughout the day?

Me, too.

So, I was thinking about how the Holy Spirit has worked in my life.

Before 1978, I don’t think I was ever really convinced to change my mind about anything.

Really, if my mind was made up, it pretty much stayed made up.

The only one who ever changed my mind was…

Yep. Him. The Holy Spirit.

He showed me who I was…and I wasn’t the good guy I thought I was.

He changed me. Suddenly. Slowly.

Been changing me for years.

Yeah, I’m still changing, moving closer to the goal all the time…still a long, long way to go.

You know what I realized while that preacher was talking today?

I haven’t ever changed anyone’s mind either.

Even if I could, what would be the point?

I have no power in myself to give them the gifts they need to succeed, nor the power to empower them.

They need the Holy Spirit just like I did.

Maybe, the best thing I can do is point to Him.

God. The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.

You don’t really like being angry all the time, do you?

There is a peace that comes, when you come to the end of your strength, and find that there is One that can hold you up, get you through, and give you everything you need…

To be where you were always meant to be…

A Son, or Daughter of the One True Living God.