“Preserve
me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’ You make
known to me the path of life;in
your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures
forevermore” (Psalm 16:1; 11 ESV).
There is a huge contrast in the faith of
Stephen who knew God and the Pharisees that condemn him because they think they
know God (Acts 6 &7). Stephen
followed God with his heart and was a willing servant of his Lord. The pious
Jewish leaders thought they were doing things right and were ritualistically
following what they saw as their righteousness in their keeping the Law. Yet God was not impressed with their
religious piety and diligence. He wasn’t
impressed with the buildings they built or the rules they had made. We can condemn the Pharisees in the time of Jesus
and yet be so much like them in thinking that we are sanctified in and of
ourselves.
God loves the hearts that are humble and
contrite before Him. Our hearts must break and become tender to His ways. Our
hearts must trust Him fully in all our days as we live in obedience to
Him. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit comes
to guide those that welcome His guidance.
Don’t resist Him or grieve Him but seek and listen to Him. Be a true follower
of Christ and be filled over and over again with His Holy Spirit.
“And what they said pleased the whole
gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,
and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus,
a proselyte of Antioch” (Acts 6:5 ESV).
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