Acts 2:38 & 3:19: Wonderful Gifts

 

Acts 2:38 & 3:19: Wonderful Gifts

(Acts 2:28) Then Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Notice what Peter's first command is: repent.

(Acts 3:19) "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

Again, what is Peter's first command? Repent.  

God's salvation is indeed a free gift and when we accept it through repenting of our old ways, He will clean us up. However, if we want to take our relationship with God to the next level and receive the precious gifts from the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11), we must maintain a hungry heart for the pure things of God and repent of any new sins.  It is up to us to allow the Holy Spirit to help us stay clean.  We must keep our vessels clean so the Holy presence of God can dwell within us.  He will continue to clean us up if we stay willing and allow ourselves to be set apart from ungodly ways.

But, oh, what wonderful gifts He will bless us with!  A penitent heart will bring us the empowering of the Holy Spirit as well as grant us with a comforter and moral guide. 

When you are struggling to be set free from a habitual sin you are trying but failing to overcome, the Holy Spirit will enable you to be set free from those sins and find the victory you cannot achieve by your own strength!  He can miraculously set you free from addictions, hateful attitudes, and a rebellious stubborn will that struggles with going against what you know the Bible teaches.

When you are facing an illness, homelessness, joblessness, abuse, or other difficulties, the Holy Spirit will give you supernatural peace, strength, and joy to endure.  Even if your circumstances do not change, through the Holy Spirit, you can still find the spiritual and mental strength to face another day.  You can learn to find hope in knowing that in Heaven all negative circumstances will disappear, and God will be your eternal joy! 

Repentance will allow God to "blot out" our sins and (I love this verse) bless us with "times of refreshing in the presence of the Lord!"  Sounds pretty amazing to me!