Acts 2:12 Amazed and perplexed they asked one another, “What does this mean”?

When was the last time you were amazed? Has television, technology and the tireless pursuit of entertainment in America made it nearly impossible to astonish? It seems exploits recorded and posted online via social media are growing in danger, weirdness and frankly, stupidity, hoping to incite or provoke extreme reactions - aka go viral. Maybe it’s the pace at which life comes at us that has dulled our senses to the normal everyday wonder of living in relationship with God and others. 

In Acts 2, the entrance of the Holy Spirit into normal everyday life turned ordinary into extraordinary. The Holy Spirit began doing things God has purposed in the world that we are not otherwise capable of. The disciples could have done something dangerous or provocative enough to capture the attention of the onlookers, but they didn’t have to as the Holy Spirit entered their lives and put Heaven on display. The purpose and intent of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to make Heaven’s resources accessible on earth. Whether your need is comfort, direction, assistance (John 14:16), healing, encouragement, love, or insight (1 Cor. 12-14); motivation, understanding, faith (Romans 12); friendship, companionship or partnership (Acts 2-4), the Holy Spirit is ready to resource your life from Heaven’s storehouse. 

Heaven’s resources are on display in the simplicity of a child’s laugh, the comforting touch of a friend, the colors of sunset, in the eyes of one you love, in helping those who refuse to surrender to despair, in the taste of a ripe peach exploding into a happy dance in your mouth, or the sound of the ocean reminding you how vast the creative order of God truly is.

Have your senses been dulled by an earthly search for spectacle, seemed lost in the despair of suffering in isolation or actively tuned by the Holy Spirit to recognize heaven’s remarkable entrance into everyday life? 

Amazing is available for the observant.

30 Days Toward Greater Faith

1. Wait? - Acts 1

2. Amazed - Acts 2