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May 18 Daily Devotional

Twilight: This Is It

the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

May 18

Monthly Theme:

These readings focus on the Holy Spirit. In the Old Covenant (or Testament), the Spirit "anoints" one person here and one there to perform a special work for God. In the New Covenant, the Spirit is "poured out" like rain on the whole church of Christ.

Bible Reading:

Joel 2:28–32

Bible Text:

"This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people' " (Acts 2:16–17; Joel 2:28).

Devotional:

The second chapter of Acts says repeatedly that people were "amazed" and "perplexed" and "filled with awe." They all wondered what on earth was going on.

Peter explained it to them by quoting the prophecy of Joel. This is it, he said. Heaven has come to earth. The Spirit of God has descended.

Everyone should have known that the Spirit was coming. Ages before, God had promised that in the last days the Spirit would be given indiscriminately to all kinds of people.

In the former days the Spirit was given to a prophet here and to a king there. The Spirit would take hold of a man or woman and make him or her prophesy—that is, speak words that came from God. But it seldom happened. The Spirit was not "poured out." There was only a drop here and sometimes there. Years could pass when "the word of the LORD was rare" (1 Sam. 3: 1). The Spirit was not given. Nobody was anointed, the fire did not descend, the wind did not blow, and the tongues did not speak.

But this is it! The last days have begun. The Lord Jesus is on the throne, and all the resources of heaven are at his disposal. This is what's happening in the world today. The Spirit is poured out like rain, like water on dry ground. It matters not if you are old or young, rich or poor, male or female. He comes to us and will stay with us until Jesus himself returns.


Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.

 

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