PAUSES ... for Pentecost Day 50 from Resurrection SONday

Today is the day we celebrate Pentecost!

Let's celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit
and reread the second chapter of
ACTS
specifically
Acts 2:1
which shares the One Word for today
PENTECOST
[I shared the background of this word back in the beginning here]
"Pauses for Pentecost: 50 Words for ... * People"
The title actually uses *Easter in that place before People, however, I prefer to use the word Resurrection rather than Easterbecause of the origin of *Easter coming from a pagan holiday & a pagan goddess.Since I learned about this, I have chosen not to use that word when referring to the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ![the links give you more background on this]
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[Today, I'm taking the risk to share almost all of the devotional by Trevor Hudson. I don'tintend to infringe at all on his copyright in any way. I really just want to show you howgood each of his devotionals are & have been for me. I quite likely will remove & draft]
Also because the image is from You Version, where I shared it also, but it does not include v.1.
"When the day of Pentecost came, [the apostles] were all together in one place." Acts 2:1
Day 50
PENTECOST

"... On that day the disciples receive God’s power from above. It is a power that enables them to go out and out-live, out-think, and out-love the ancient world. They receive something extra, something new, something they did not have before. They receive power in their hearts. The flames of fire and the sound of wind are just outward signs that the Holy Spirit has been given to them. They receive what all of us desperately need: the Spirit of God filling us and helping us overcome the evil within and around us. We need to face the simple fact that to try to follow Jesus without the Pentecostal power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t work. We just cannot do it. From a biblical point of view, it appears that everything that happens before Pentecost is a preparation for this gift of Wind and Fire. This world was created so that in following Jesus Christ, we can have friendship with Abba. Father and be given the Holy Spirit. God-made-flesh lived, died, and rose so that our eyes would be opened to the unfathomable depths of God’s love and we would be ready to receive God’s Spirit. The message of Pentecost is that there is a new power available, the very power of the kingdom of heaven. So can I invite you again to think deeply about the place of the Spirit of God in your life? Is the Spirit of God really at work in your life? Are you experiencing greater freedom in your walk with Christ? Are you growing in your capacity to love in the way that Jesus loved? Do you have some sense of God working through your words and actions? Perhaps you can reflect on these questions when you gather together in one place with other followers of Christ for worship. This is what the early disciples did on that first Pentecost. Pentecost happened for them together. This could also be your experience today as you join together with other Easter people to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church. Whatever it is that you decide to do today, few things are more crucial in the life of faith than remaining open and yielded to the Spirit of God. Easter people are a Spirit-empowered people!... "Trevor Hudson, Pauses for Pentecost

I find that last paragraph to be so convicting and so good as a self-evaluation
with questions to reflect on as we gather to worship,
with hopes of a fresh anointing and outpouring of the
Holy Spirit
filling us over and over to "Overflow"!
In fact, one of the churches I watch online has been doing a series on
"OVERFLOW"

[image credit: Heartlight]

Romans 15:13 NIV
This is my prayer for you today & this week & for your life!
I found this Overflow Principle (small group Bible Study) to be very interesting!
So, I've decided that this is my One Word for this entire week, perhaps year!
Besides the One Word Focus: CLARITY!
(which should publish in a later post 😉)

"... He pours into our lives in overflowing measure so that we overflow & influence others around us. John 10:10 shows overflowing abundance, life flowing over the rim and spilling out. He wants you to overflow with His love, joy, peace, & more so that it overflows into the lives of others around you." credit

{This is what I am seeking!}

I pray that each day there is more evidence that the Holy Spirit is transforming me:

my self-centered life into a greater likeness of Jesus Christ & the power of the Holy Spirit!

for YOU too
🙏

[credit: You Version Bible App]