EXPAND TO READ: ACTS 4 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 29): Not only do I struggle with speaking Your message publicly to those I do not know, but when I do I tend to struggle to speak it with boldness as You mention here. I don’t know why I still lack confidence at speaking to others confidently and boldly about Your message. Please forgive me for this, Father. You tell us that Your word is Truth and You teach us of its great importance to us, yet for some reason I still feel the need to keep it all in my head and heart. Help me to be better at this, Father. I don’t know if it’s my fleshly lack of confidence during public speaking in general that’s hindering me from speaking Your message boldly to others or something else, but I do need Your help with this, Father. Help me to be more like Jesus and less like me, so that when opportunities arise I am confident and bold in my speaking of Your great message.
PROMISE (verses 11-12): Your promise here is quite simple, yet extremely powerful. Your promise is that Jesus, although rejected by many, is the cornerstone of our salvation. He is THE way, there is no one else, and we are saved by Him for eternity. Thank You for giving me Jesus in my life, Father. Thank You for my eternal salvation through Him, but also for the relationship You’ve given me with Him through the Holy Spirit and these quiet times. I am so grateful for the fulfillment of this promise in my life and will continue to build a stronger relationship with You than I have ever had.
ATTITUDE (verse 32): One heart and one mind with other Christ followers...this is definitely something I struggle with, that’s for sure. I don’t think I struggle necessarily with being one heart and one mind with Your true followers, but I find it hard to believe that some people are true followers based on their words and their actions. I find it difficult to truly become one heart and one mind with so many people in this world that claim to be true followers of Christ, yet when they speak they speak nothing of You and when they do things they obviously do not do things in a way that glorifies Your kingdom. I guess I also struggle with this at times, so I probably shouldn’t be as harsh on other followers as I think I might be at times. Help me to embrace an attitude of righteous discernment, Father, so that I am better able to discern Your true followers in this life, so that I may become one heart and one mind with them.
COMMAND (verse 12): The command given here is bold, clear, concise, and direct to the point. Your command is that there is NO salvation through anyone except Jesus Christ and we must be saved by Him. I see this as a command to my heart as it is essentially saying that we cannot be saved through anyone else nor anything in this world. No amount of money I make at my job, no amount of hours worked at my job, no amount of children I have, no amount of cars I have, or anything of the like can give me eternal salvation. There is only one, Jesus, and only one way, by accepting Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank You, God, for making this simpler than I often try to make it for my own life. Thank You for not over-complicating my salvation as I already do that enough on my own.
EXAMPLE (verses 32-35): I love this example here. After praying deeply and heavily, the Holy Spirit came amongst all these people and they were of one mind, one heart, and held all they are in common with each other. One person was not greater than another simply because he had more wealth, because all wealth and possessions belong to God’s kingdom, not to mankind. Help me to be better at living in this example in my life, Father. Help me to embrace a more giving heart. Help me to embrace a bolder, more faith-filled mind. Help me to live in the way that You expect me to live and not the way of this world or the selfish, covetous way my flesh often wants me to live in.
*DAILY NOTE: I must admit, Father. Acts seems to be a bit of a difficult read for me. I’m not sure if that’s because I wasn’t truly ready for it yet or because this is Your intent to help me strengthen my relationship with You even more. Either way, I am grateful for the conversation we had today, the lessons I’ve learned, and the great examples You’ve provided to me. Thank You for Jesus’ sacrifice, even though it was an atrocity of mankind that was required to produce that sacrifice in the end. Help me to be better at holding onto Your wisdom and knowledge in my mind and applying it to my heart, so that when the opportunities arise I can boldly speak Your message onto others instead of keeping so much of You hidden inside of me. Grant me the confidence, wisdom, strength, and proper words to glorify You in the right moments, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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