If we believe that Paul was led by the Spirit of God and not by the spirit of the world, then it would follow that we must have some confidence in what Paul said and did. If we know that Paul was led to share the gospel message with the Gentiles, to open the love of God to those beyond the traditional faith of which he was a part, then it would follow that we also should be sharing the love of God with people outside of our faith.
Such an approach may be very challenging to us. It may require a new way of looking at how we do things and how we live as believers. We may even see this as something we would rather not accept, rather not believe.
But the working of the Holy Spirit in our faith is not there to just upset us or cause disharmony. The working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to have a new perspective in our faith and of other people is meant to give us strength.
In this letter to the young church leader Timothy what is said of the spirit we receive from God? What should our approach be?
Although allowing the Holy Spirit to give us a new way of looking at the world and our faith may disturb us in some ways, we must realize that God is working in us for the good of His kingdom. God does not give us a spirit that makes us worry and fret. Instead God gives us a spirit – perhaps a new spirit – that is meant to be bold and powerful. This new spirit in us is intended to help us in loving other people, and we do that through the self-discipline of a trusting faith.
When we allow God to move in us and bring us a new faith, a new perspective, we need to be bold and daring. We need to be willing to live out God’s love, perhaps in a new way, doing new things and accepting and reaching out to new people.
We must trust in the immeasurable abilities of God. We must allow God to help us see our faith in a fresh way, perhaps a way that will make us stronger in our beliefs.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be bold in your faith?
