Psalm 147; Acts 19:1-7

Psalm 147
It's always appropriate to praise our God. It's good, delightful, and fitting in His sight. v. 1
This psalm mentions several things God is and does.

• He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. What a comfort! v. 3
• He counts the stars and calls them by name. v. 4
• His power is absolute! No earthly being, no matter how influential can match His power. v. 5
• His understanding is beyond comprehension. Sometimes we don't even understand ourselves, but God understands us perfectly. v. 5
• He supports the humble. v. 6
• He provides the rain for the earth. v. 8
• He feeds the wild animals. v. 9

Have you ever considered this question--what brings God pleasure and delight? It's not our talents or strength! v. 10 "No, the Lord's delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love."  v. 11

This psalm was written to Israel when they returned to Jerusalem from exile. The remaining verses seem to be written specifically to them, but they do show us more about the wonderful God we serve.

Acts 19:1-7
Paul arrives at Ephesus and asks some who professed to be disciples, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" This is an important question because "The witness of the Spirit is the one indispensable proof that a person is truly born again., and you receive the Spirit when you believe on Jesus Christ."  Just to review a little, let's look back at Acts 10:43-48. This outlines in a nutshell what happens when a person trusts Jesus as his Savior.

• Sinners hear the Word and believe on Jesus Christ.
• They immediately receive the Holy Spirit.
• They were baptized.

(I did a little research on this passage, and the above information is adapted from Wiersbe, Warren, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 480.)

The people to whom Paul was speaking apparently had not understood what Christ had done for them. When they did understand, they trusted Jesus as their savior, and they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit came on them. v. 4-6

The thing to remember for today is that when we hear the truth from God's Word, believe on Jesus Christ and trust Him for our salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus said this is Ephesians 1:13, "And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago." This is God Himself living within us, His children.