Monthly Archives: January 2014

2014 Day 11 – Acts 10

11 Saturday Jan 2014

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In Acts 10:47 Peter says, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” The important thing in my mind is that they received the Holy Spirit before they did anything good. The requirement for these people was not that they become better people before God would accept them. God accepted them first and then their lives were changed. We are foolish to think God needs our goodness. He is in the business of changing lives, not us. His only requirement is that we accept Him and accept His leading in our lives. Trust and obey; that is it.

2014 Day 10 – Acts 9

10 Friday Jan 2014

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Paul’s conversion story in Acts 9 is a prime example of God’s mercy and grace. If God can change the heart of a man like Paul, He can change anyone’s heart. God is a God of love. He loves us more than our sin can destroy us if we simply trust in Him. Too often we get stuck on our sin and what it keeps us from doing. God removes that sin through His mercy and grace so that He can use us. We must trust in His ability to do anything including forgiving and forgetting about our sin.

2014 Day 9 – Acts 8

09 Thursday Jan 2014

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There is a lot going on in today’s reading in Acts 8. I continue to be amazed at the boldness of the apostles even in the shadow of potential persecution. The apostles showed incredible faith in God’s protection, and more importantly, God’s plan for their lives. They accepted God’s will even if it meant ultimate death. We must always look to God’s plan for our lives and accept the overall picture. God never promised to let us know why, He simply asked for our trust in Him.

2014 Day 8 – Acts 7

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

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Because of Stephen’s conviction and courage, he was martyred for his faith. At no point did Stephen avoid the facts or the truth. He knew the consequences of his faith and he looked up to heaven and accepted God’s plan for his life. I hope that in all circumstances I would do the same thing. My eyes should always turn to heaven and look to God for His plan for my life no matter the outcome.

2014 Day 7 – Acts 6

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

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In today’s reading I found the requirements of the men who led administratively to be interesting because they were not to be taken lightly. These were men who were just as important and committed as the men who were tasked with preaching. Each group allowed the other to serve in a completely committed way. When we are tasked with seemingly menial tasks, we should realize we are just as important as anyone else in ministry. We each have our strengths and calling. We should approach how we serve with the same level of commitment and vigor as anyone else.

2014 Day 6 – Acts 5

06 Monday Jan 2014

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How many of us would  praise God for the opportunity to suffer for Him? Act 5:41 says, The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. The apostles praised God because God found them worth of suffering for Him. I often feel that I personally live too comfortable of an existence. I look for the simple life that is friction-less and carefree. I need to be more deliberate about searching for opportunities to be worth of fully being used by God; whatever that means.

2014 Day 5 – John Piper – Don’t Waste Your Life: Risk

05 Sunday Jan 2014

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I love listening to John Piper. In this short video He talks about taking a risk for the Kingdom. This does not mean we should be be dumb about this, but we should be daring and trusting in God that He can do a might work through us and for His glory. Romans 8:38-39 says, 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

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2014 Day 4 – Acts 4

04 Saturday Jan 2014

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I love Peter’s description of Jesus in verse 11, Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ The capstone unites two sides of an arch. Without Jesus, there would be no church because there would be nothing to unite the old and the new.

2014 Day 3 – Acts 3

03 Friday Jan 2014

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God never asked us to do anything specific in His name other than be obedient. For Peter, his obedience called for him to give all he had to the crippled man. In verse 6 it says, Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” While riches may provide means to serve God, the only thing He really asks of us is to trust in Him and give all He has provided us to give.

2014 Day 2 – Acts 2

02 Thursday Jan 2014

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One of the things we must remember as we read the book of Acts is this is an example of how we should live as believers. I’m not necessarily saying we should sell all our possessions, but we should learn to focus on serving God more and focus less on serving our own interests. Life as a believer is simple; love others, serve them, and help bring them to a closer relationship with God. The rest is less important to God and simply makes us feel more important in the eyes of others.