Claim It, Enjoy It

v 25 David said about him: “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  

v 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,

v 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. 

v 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

Acts 2:25‭-‬28 NIV

Acts 2:25-28 is described as the prophecy of David in one of his Psalms, which is Psalm 16. It talks about Jesus, the Messiah (v31). Truly, Jesus, the Son of God, experienced these things in verses 25-28 while He dwelt here on earth with us.

We, who believe and have faith, are entitled to these things, too. However, this is not merely a simple cause and effect clause. As we can read in v38, what we will receive is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 mentions a listing of spiritual gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. As a regular human being, I would react to these gifts with such amazement. These are enormous powers, right?

So I have arrived at the following conclusions:

1. We are entitled to the benefits of the gifts of the Holy Spirit if we truly repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (v38). By doing this we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. 

2. These promises are not just for us, but for our children, and also our family (v39). Let us become instruments of the Lord to proclaim the Word of God to our families.

3. It is our decision to accept Jesus as our savior and separate ourselves from this corrupt generation (v40). However, we can only succeed in this if we let the power of the Holy Spirit work in us. If we lack the power of the Holy Spirit, then we will not be able to truly and genuinely savor and experience these enjoyable benefits. It is the Holy Spirit that is to be glorified and not ourselves.

Praises to our Lord Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!