"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required..." Luke 2:25-27
Simeon received the remarkable blessing of seeing and holding the Christ child. So many others in Israel had hoped to see the Christ but did not recognize Him when He stood in their midst. Simeon was in tune with God because He was full of and yielded to the Holy Spirit.
Christians who seek and yield daily to the Holy Spirit's filling experience Christ's presence, leadership, and work in ways that others miss. Begin each day by giving thanks for the Spirit's presence in your life as a believer and then offer your life to His control. This requires constant prayer, faith in God's promise, and confession of sin which hinders the Spirit. Practiced daily it will lead to awesome experiences of the Christ.
Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit today so that I might "see" Christ in me and His work around me.
I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark
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Another part of why Simeon was blessed is that he not only sought to hear the Holy Spirit, but he obeyed what the Spirit told him to do. I wonder how often I hear but don't obey, and therefore miss the treasure/adventure/blessing God has for me.
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ReplyDeletestarting @ ch2:41.When Joseph and Mary realized that they had lost JESUS,they did not panic or lose hope.But they did immediately start seeking HIM.When they did not find HIM among their company they returned to Jerusalem.
Whenever we find ourselves apart from JESUS,we should immediately start seeking HIM.If we do not find HIM,we should return to where we last had HIM and HE will be there waiting to be found.
side note: How fitting is it that JESUS was born in Bethlehem.Bethlehem in Hebrew translates :house of bread. What better place for Bread of Life and the Bread that came from heaven to be born.Things that make you go HMMM!