GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM

As I read Acts 4-5, I wondered as I eyed the phrase "and great grace was upon them all", what would that look like?  The passage does give some hints:  of those who believed were of one heart and soul and even as they looked at their belongings, they claimed nothing as their own but had everything in common.  What an attitude!  Out of that attitude, they were willing to give and then needs were met when distributed among the people. Tragically, our culture encourages us to look at our belongings, hold them closely to ourselves in closets, storage even air-conditioned sheds, bank vaults, etc and seek to get more and more! 

If that same attitude of being of "one heart and one soul" (kardia: the seat and center of human life) as a Christ follower was practiced first by myself, would that be infectious enough to draw hearts to be willing to hear about the Lord Jesus and give validity about what I am sharing?  To be of one heart and one soul suggests that I not be double-minded and that I am willing to live out the TRUTH in my inward being knowing that the Lord delights in that attitude.  The phrase also suggests unanimity of my heart and my soul (mind, will, and emotions).  When I am willing to be unified in heart and soul, I am willing to look beyond myself and see needs and I am receptive to ask, how can I be a part of meeting needs to your glory, LORD?  

Lord, I desire that my heart and my soul be in unity with your mindset and that I be willing to be of that spirit to meet needs of those to whom You bring in my traffic pattern today.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress
Read more

LAST THOUGHT ON LEVITICUS

Image
  For the first time in many years, I have enjoyed reading through Leviticus.  I have skipped it several times and read on.  This go round, I have sought to focus on some thoughts, words, phrases, or practices that God had instituted for the Israelites and their physical and spiritual well-being.  The Ten Commandments and many of the laws have real practical value for society and the Christ follower today.  The Lord God gave them a standard, a commandment, which is applicable for today, "You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees.  I am the Lord (Jehovah) your God (Elohim).  Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them.  I am the LORD."  Leviticus 18:4-5   My concluding thought from Leviticus is this admonition or commandment:  " You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."  Leviticus 20:26.  Even though spoken to Israel, the truth of being holy is directe
Read more

ORDER AND DESIGN

Image
    I do not have OCD, but I do confess that I like order in my home.  Now that I am retired, I am not so much into spotless, but "picked up" and "kinda" clean. (Do not open drawers and closets!) I might go to more trouble when I know I am having company, but otherwise, I remove the clutter that seems to reproduce on its own.   When I began the reading in Genesis in January, I was again taken with the with the orderliness and design of God in creation, and have seen Him use Moses and Aaron to ORDERLY marshal the Israelites to move out of Egypt. How do you move some 600+ males and that is not even wives and children? Animals also?  They have been one year+ out of Egypt, and have been camped at Mt. Sinai where God has given them laws for their spiritual and physical welfare.  God gives Moses the design of the Tabernacle and Moses is able to bring together the workers to complete the Tabernacle.   The clip art at the top is the positioning of the 12 Tribes and the
Read more