February 19-Meditating on God’s Word
Here is the passage for the week:
Acts 4:32-35, All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Praying the Word: “Lord Jesus, Your Spirit was astonishing in how You manifested Yourself among those early believers. We pray for the same kind of unity in our congregation that they shared together. Help us to focus on what’s most important and let everything of this world become less. May we treat our possessions as they did in holding them lightly in recognition that You are the owner of all things. May we be quick to use what You have entrusted to us for care of the needy and support of the church’s ministry. May we have the passion to see the need and make a generous response through our own sacrifice for the greater good of others. May we be passionate in our belief in re-telling our personal experience of resurrection. May the fruit of our lips and our lives match each other so that we present to the world a complete witness of Your love and power offered to all who will receive it. Amen.”
February 20-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:32, All the believers were one in heart and mind…
Observe what it is saying.
The believers’ unity was an answer to Jesus’ prayer the night before his crucifixion. Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22-23
Such unity is a mark of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit at work within the Body of Christ. Where there is unity in the church, we can be confident that the Spirit of the Lord is present. Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” We must cooperate with the Spirit’s activity so that we’re united in our message and mission to present to the world an effective witness that Jesus is the One who can help them.
Relate it to your life.
If our unity fades as a fellowship, then we are walking out of step with the Spirit.
Do something.
“Lord Jesus, keep us united together so that we can be an effective witness for You. Amen.”
February 21-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:32, No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
Observe what it is saying.
This same spirit of generosity continued from what we saw from the earliest days of the church in Acts 2. They were so focused on being a community in love and support of one another that their personal possessions had absolutely no grip on them. Instead, they saw them as resources to be used for the needs of the body. Because they viewed themselves primarily as a fellowship first, their mindset was far from the self-focused, independent-minded culture that we often find ourselves in the modern world. Though the intensity of this selfless, self-giving model of generosity may not become the norm for everyone, the spirit of this mindset is a direct product of the Spirit of the Lord.
Relate it to your life.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there will be selfless and sacrificial generosity.
Do something.
“Jesus, help me to recapture such a community mindset of generosity for others. Amen.”
February 22-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:33, With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Observe what it is saying.
The Holy Spirit empowered the early church to do two major works as they continued to grow. The first was an act of generosity where they unselfishly took care of one another even at great personal cost. The second was in their witness to the resurrection. This was such astounding news that they were compelled to share it over and over. Their personal experience of the resurrected Lord transformed their faith and offered them a powerful testimony that became the impetus for many others to join their fellowship.
Relate it to your life.
The message of resurrection is our unique testimony of how remarkable our future will be.
Do something.
“Jesus, help me to powerfully live and tell the good news of Your resurrection that offers us hope for the future restoration of all creation. Amen.”
February 23-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:33, …And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all
Observe what it is saying.
It wasn’t the mere effort of the believers that accomplished their miraculous and magnificent outcomes. The agape love that had saved them was still at work transforming them into new people. God’s grace empowers and equips to make us holy in heart, mind, and lifestyle. God’s grace is not finished until we enter His glorifying grace. Everything we are able to be and do in our Christian journey is through God’s generosity as He keeps pouring Himself into us. As they appropriated God’s grace through obedience to the Spirit’s leading, God kept pouring out an unlimited supply that could not be exhausted.
Relate it to your life.
The more I welcome the Holy Spirit’s leading into my life, the more grace I will enjoy.
Do something.
“Jesus, I want all the grace I can receive to bring You as much glory as possible. Amen.”
February 24-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:34-35, that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Observe what it is saying.
It is not surprising that God’s generosity that was so powerfully at work within them caused them to express radical generosity. To have no needy persons among them was exactly what God told the Israelites when they inherited the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 15:4, “However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you.” The church fulfilled what the Israelites were called to do as God’s holy community set apart as a witness to the world. We may not have houses and land to sell, but we can consider other ways to cut back on spending or re-appropriate our funds to sacrificially demonstrate God’s grace through our generosity.
Relate it to your life.
If I have God’s grace, I will give generously and sacrificially for the benefit God’s holy purposes.
Do something.
“Jesus, may Your generosity easily slip through my heart and hands to bless others. Amen.”
Here is the passage for the week:
Acts 4:32-35, All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Praying the Word: “Lord Jesus, Your Spirit was astonishing in how You manifested Yourself among those early believers. We pray for the same kind of unity in our congregation that they shared together. Help us to focus on what’s most important and let everything of this world become less. May we treat our possessions as they did in holding them lightly in recognition that You are the owner of all things. May we be quick to use what You have entrusted to us for care of the needy and support of the church’s ministry. May we have the passion to see the need and make a generous response through our own sacrifice for the greater good of others. May we be passionate in our belief in re-telling our personal experience of resurrection. May the fruit of our lips and our lives match each other so that we present to the world a complete witness of Your love and power offered to all who will receive it. Amen.”
February 20-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:32, All the believers were one in heart and mind…
Observe what it is saying.
The believers’ unity was an answer to Jesus’ prayer the night before his crucifixion. Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22-23
Such unity is a mark of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit at work within the Body of Christ. Where there is unity in the church, we can be confident that the Spirit of the Lord is present. Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” We must cooperate with the Spirit’s activity so that we’re united in our message and mission to present to the world an effective witness that Jesus is the One who can help them.
Relate it to your life.
If our unity fades as a fellowship, then we are walking out of step with the Spirit.
Do something.
“Lord Jesus, keep us united together so that we can be an effective witness for You. Amen.”
February 21-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:32, No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
Observe what it is saying.
This same spirit of generosity continued from what we saw from the earliest days of the church in Acts 2. They were so focused on being a community in love and support of one another that their personal possessions had absolutely no grip on them. Instead, they saw them as resources to be used for the needs of the body. Because they viewed themselves primarily as a fellowship first, their mindset was far from the self-focused, independent-minded culture that we often find ourselves in the modern world. Though the intensity of this selfless, self-giving model of generosity may not become the norm for everyone, the spirit of this mindset is a direct product of the Spirit of the Lord.
Relate it to your life.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there will be selfless and sacrificial generosity.
Do something.
“Jesus, help me to recapture such a community mindset of generosity for others. Amen.”
February 22-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:33, With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Observe what it is saying.
The Holy Spirit empowered the early church to do two major works as they continued to grow. The first was an act of generosity where they unselfishly took care of one another even at great personal cost. The second was in their witness to the resurrection. This was such astounding news that they were compelled to share it over and over. Their personal experience of the resurrected Lord transformed their faith and offered them a powerful testimony that became the impetus for many others to join their fellowship.
Relate it to your life.
The message of resurrection is our unique testimony of how remarkable our future will be.
Do something.
“Jesus, help me to powerfully live and tell the good news of Your resurrection that offers us hope for the future restoration of all creation. Amen.”
February 23-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:33, …And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all
Observe what it is saying.
It wasn’t the mere effort of the believers that accomplished their miraculous and magnificent outcomes. The agape love that had saved them was still at work transforming them into new people. God’s grace empowers and equips to make us holy in heart, mind, and lifestyle. God’s grace is not finished until we enter His glorifying grace. Everything we are able to be and do in our Christian journey is through God’s generosity as He keeps pouring Himself into us. As they appropriated God’s grace through obedience to the Spirit’s leading, God kept pouring out an unlimited supply that could not be exhausted.
Relate it to your life.
The more I welcome the Holy Spirit’s leading into my life, the more grace I will enjoy.
Do something.
“Jesus, I want all the grace I can receive to bring You as much glory as possible. Amen.”
February 24-Meditating on God’s Word
Write out the Scripture.
Acts 4:34-35, that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Observe what it is saying.
It is not surprising that God’s generosity that was so powerfully at work within them caused them to express radical generosity. To have no needy persons among them was exactly what God told the Israelites when they inherited the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 15:4, “However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you.” The church fulfilled what the Israelites were called to do as God’s holy community set apart as a witness to the world. We may not have houses and land to sell, but we can consider other ways to cut back on spending or re-appropriate our funds to sacrificially demonstrate God’s grace through our generosity.
Relate it to your life.
If I have God’s grace, I will give generously and sacrificially for the benefit God’s holy purposes.
Do something.
“Jesus, may Your generosity easily slip through my heart and hands to bless others. Amen.”
Posted in Daily Devotionals