Full of the Spirit and wisdom

Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:3-4)

What struck me today was the connection between prayer and the Word and being full of the Spirit and wisdom.

Do you want to be full of the Spirit? Do you want to be led by him and empowered by him like Jesus was (Luke 4:1, 14)?

You need to be connected to him. And that comes through prayer, daily seeking him, asking for his leading and power.

Jesus told us to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. And if we do, God will not fail to send his Spirit to us. (Luke 11:9-13)

Do you want to be filled with wisdom? You need to devote yourselves to his Word. You can only learn to think as God does if you take the time to read and study his word.

The apostles were full of the wisdom and the Spirit because they did these things.

But that kind of thing isn’t just for the apostles or the “elite” Christians. It’s for all of us.

In the early church, all of the Christians were devoting themselves to God’s word and to prayer. (Acts 2:42).

Let’s not believe the lie that this kind of life is for only the “elite” Christians. It’s for every one of us who follow Jesus.

Only as we, God’s people, live this way, filled with his Spirit and wisdom, will we ever see change in the lives of the people we love and in this country.