You’re Richer Than You Think

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
–Acts 1:8

An old man living in Oklahoma was thrilled when he struck oil on the small parcel of land he owned. Suddenly he was richer than Jed Clampett. He had always wanted more than anything a shiny red Cadillac, and now he had the money to purchase one. So he went down to the car dealership, pulled out a wad of cash, and bought a shiny red Cadillac. The old man was so proud of his new car that every morning at ten o’clock, he would drive around the town square. And while he was driving, he would roll down his windows and wave at folks as he passed, barely paying attention to where he was going. Sometimes he got so distracted, he would even lean out his window and start talking to the people in the town square, ignoring the road completely.

But nobody was too concerned about the old man’s erratic driving patterns. They would simply smile and wave back at him as his shiny red Cadillac rolled through town at a snail’s pace, drawn by two horses the man had rigged to the front bumper.

You know, a lot of Christians are like that old man. They saunter through their Christian lives convinced they can travel no further or faster than they are traveling right now. They think they can never experience miraculous answers to their prayers. They can never experience victory over temptation in their lives. They can never expect God to speak to them in a supernatural way. These Christians have no idea of the tremendous spiritual horsepower that is available to them. Instead, they just travel around the same circle at the same slow pace, day after day.

But there are some Christians who want more in their Christian experience. They long for more power in their prayers. They long for more success in their struggles. They want to experience more joy in their worship. Perhaps you are one of those Christians.

Sometimes when we want more, we see other Christians whizzing by us in a faster model of Christianity. And we think, “Maybe I have the wrong kind of Christianity. Maybe I need to trade in my faith for a shinier, newer model.”

Before you do that, it is important to read the owner’s manual and understand the power that is available to you already. If you want more than you are experiencing in your Christian life right now, what you really are longing for is the power of the Holy Spirit. This week as we study the Holy Spirit, you are going to discover why you are richer than you think.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “You’re Richer Than You Think” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.