Focus
Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.
Read
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Reflect
The background of this passage is that on the day before, Peter (along with John) healed a lame beggar and preached to the crowd of onlookers in the name of Jesus. Peter and John were then confronted by the priests, thrown in jail overnight, and questioned by the Sanhedrin the next day. After intense questioning, the Sanhedrin eventually let them go as they could not decide how to punish them because the crowd was praising God for the miracle that had happened. What an eventful and nerve-racking 24 hours!
Afterward, Peter and John gathered with their friends to tell them what had occurred. They prayed for boldness, and the Lord answered their prayer, filling them with the Holy Spirit.
I can’t imagine the amount of boldness and courage it would take to preach about Jesus and perform signs and wonders in His name in the environment these early Christians were in. In modern America, it seems there are times I can barely garner enough boldness to speak of Jesus for fear of peer pressure or social media shaming, much less the consequences these early disciples faced. Along these lines, I am truly inspired by our missionaries in parts of the world where they can and do face the risk of extreme punishment every day for sharing about Jesus with others.
May we be inspired by their examples. And may we note in the scripture that when those gathered prayed for boldness, God heard them and answered their prayer. The result was that thousands came to Christ. May we remember to pray for boldness in times when we are afraid to speak out for Christ.
Pray
Lord, we know there are times when we should speak out about You and share Your love with others, but we are afraid for many reasons. Help us to recognize these opportunities that You place in front of us each day, and give us the boldness to share about Your son Jesus with others. We trust that if we ask and are filled with the Holy Spirit, You will give us the right words. Amen.
Go with God!
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