S Acts 8:18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
O Simon was a sorcerer who made money by preforming magic. The he was upstaged by the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostles came along and performed real miracles. Simon wanted that power and thought he could buy it with money.
A We all want to see the power of the Holy Spirit in our life. We all want the ability to do miracles and wave our hand so that all our troubles will be gone. The temptation might be to think that we can buy that power through giving money to the church or by being “good” in the eyes of God. What we forget is that the gift of the Holy Spirit is free. Jesus Christ already paid the price for us to receive Him. That power, however, is not so that we can make all our problems go away. The power of the Holy Spirit is to wash away our sins. Having the Holy Spirit means having faith that all our problems are temporary because our eternity has been secured. We serve God and love others in order to say “thank You” to God for that gift.
P Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit and for Jesus Christ who paid the price for that gift. Help us to remember that we can never repay You, but we can live our lives in a way that thanks You and gives You glory. Amen.