Gospel Reflections #291: The Holy Spirit works when we keep our eyes on God, not on our own efforts

Acts 2:4 "Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in the languages of the other nations, as the "Spirit" caused them to speak.

Many Christians today claim that those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit should speak in tongues as they did in apostolic times.

I think it means that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can speak as the Spirit makes us speak the words of comfort, care, mercy, and love.

The Holy Spirit gives us words that meet the needs of our family and friends, words of encouragement, words of sharing our joy, etc., even if we are not speaking to other tongues. God guides us in what we say. What we do is to know God daily, receive His love, choose Him always, and look up to Him, which I believe is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Every day we should say to God, "We may not be able to do anything good, but we want to choose God and accept Him. Please help us to do so." God knows and receives all the thoughts in our hearts.

The moment we believe in God, the Holy Spirit enters in us and works for our good. This gives us peace, joy, and hope.

The Holy Spirit works when we keep our eyes on God, not on our own efforts

This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San who lives in Hiroshima, Japan. She is a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through the Christ-centered approach of Biblical Reflections. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel message that has filled her heart.