Standing Firm
"But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55)I don't pretend as though I have the strength and fortitude of someone like Stephen. I've never been persecuted; I've never been surrounded by an angry mob; no one has ever tried to stone me. Yet in this life we face similar threats, though they may present themselves in different forms.
I've never been persecuted. Yet there unseen forces of darkness that work night and day to destroy us, and we are all born with a nature that will stop at nothing to implode in upon itself. I've never been surrounded by an angry mob. Yet every day we are bombarded with temptations and pressures to relent, to give in, to give up. No one has ever tried to stone me. Yet in this life we encounter obstacles and frustrations and difficulties, things that pound on us without any compassion or mercy.
I am no Stephen, this is true. But thanks to Stephen I at least know how to live in light of the persecutions, temptations, and difficulties.
The answer: "But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." If there is any hope in this life to have strength, power, and purpose it is in the Holy Spirit who shows us the Son at the right hand of the Father. In Stephen's dying moment, he was filled with the life and person of the Holy Spirit, and in this moment his vision was saturated with the intimacy that exists between the Father and the Son. It is this vision, that the Holy Spirit alone may provide and make real to us, that is our hope and our strength. It is this vision that empowers us to fight the enemy of our soul and our soul itself. It is this vision that emboldens us to make the right decisions in the face of insurmountable odds. It is this vision that helps us through the difficult times of trial. Until this Reality becomes our reality, we have no hope of ever standing firm.
Let that be your commitment this day. Be committed to God. Pray the dying prayer of Stephen, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Give him all that you are, be filled with His life, and let the Trinity fill your horizon.
