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Devotions

Gathered Together

Read Acts 2:1-21.

In this reading, the disciples are gathered together ten days after Jesus has just ascended into heaven. They are waiting in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had instructed. And when it comes, it’s loud and powerful, like the rush of a mighty wind. It sets their hearts ablaze. In other passages, the Spirit enters with gentleness, much like a descending dove.

In what way have you experienced the Holy Spirit? What do you think is the significance of the variety of languages the disciples were suddenly able to speak? What does it say about who God includes? What languages might the Spirit be calling you to speak—that of other generations, of other educational backgrounds, of other cultural backgrounds, etc.?

In prayer, ask God to inspire you to share the Gospel with someone you might not normally do so.

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Devotions

Clothed with Power

Read Luke 24:44-53.

This reading comes just after Jesus meets two disciples on the road to Emmaus, spends time in conversation about the scriptures, shares a meal, gives them understanding about his identity and mission, and then vanishes. As the disciples are talking about it, Jesus appears among them, offering peace and understanding once again. Jesus knows that they are not ready to go out and share the gospel message because they still don’t quite get it. Instead, he instructs them to go to Jerusalem for a time of prayer, worship, and preparation.

To what degree do you view your time of worship and prayer about preparing to go out into the world and share the love, hope, and joy of Jesus? Do you come to worship expecting to feel better about yourself, about your life, about the world? I hope so! But I also hope that you come to worship expecting to be challenged, equipped, and sent to take your faith beyond yourself. I hope you view worship as a time of preparation, as the disciples did.

Today in prayer, ask God to clothe you with the power to come alongside someone who needs a kind or hopeful word, a listening ear, or a steady shoulder.

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Devotions

Praying for Faith

Read Ephesians 1:15-23.

What a gift this prayer must have been to the community of faith in Ephesus. Paul has taken note of the depth of their faith and the way their faith is being lived out in the way they love “all the saints”. I would imagine this means they are caring for those who are a part of their community and for those who are not. This is a church that is truly operating as the body of Christ – the voice, the hands, and the heart of Christ for the world.

Who are the people in whom you see a great depth of faith? In what ways do they live out their faith? Have you ever prayed that God would continue to nurture, strengthen, and enliven their faith? Imagine what that might mean to someone to hear that you appreciate their example of faith and that you are praying that God would continue to be at work within them and through them.

Offer that prayer to God today and find a way to let that person know about your prayer for them.

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Devotions

Exalted

Read Psalm 47.

This psalm of praise pictures God as high above all things. “For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth…God has gone up with a shout…he is highly exalted.” These verses are not meant to imply that ours is a distant, needy God, sitting somewhere faraway on a gilded throne. Instead, from that vantage point, God sees our lives and our world in a way that none of us could. God sees the big picture, where we can only see what is right in front of us. God is both “up there” and “down here”. How incredible it is to think that God can see all things at all times, while still attending to the smallest of hurts, fears, and hopes!

Can you think of times when, in retrospect, you can see that God was at work in a situation that ended differently than you expected? Has there been a time when something didn’t work out the way you were hoping, but the alternative ended up being better?

Since, in verse 7, we are instructed to sing praises with a psalm, either sing the hymn (based on Psalm 103), “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” or watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O25pj_Nimc4

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Devotions

Looking Up, Looking Out

Read Acts 1:1-11.

After his death, resurrection, and many appearances to his followers, Jesus’ disciples are still asking the wrong questions. They still somehow believe the Messiah’s mission was about land and territory. Instead, he reminds them of their mission to be his witnesses and to spread the good news to “the ends of the earth.” After this awe-inspiring vision of Jesus being lifted into the clouds, the disciples just stand there, immobile, with mouths gaping open. It’s almost as if they don’t know what to do next. They don’t seem to know what their first step should be. And then the two men in white robes ask, “Why do you stand there looking up to heaven?” It’s almost as if they’re saying, “Don’t just stand there. Get going!”

Sometimes, we get so caught up in our life of study, prayer, and worship, we forget that we’re called to something with it. In what ways do you witness to the good news of Jesus Christ? What do you understand the good news to be?

In prayer, ask to be filled with, empowered, and fired up by the Holy Spirit so that you might share the life-giving, hope-filled good news of Jesus Christ.

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Devotions

Peace

Read John 14:23-29.

This peace that Jesus promises is about a sense of wholeness, contentment, and fulfilment even amidst the conflict and strife that comes with living in the world. This peace is a gift of God, but can only be experienced when we give over to God our desire to control everything in our lives. What might you need to give over to God to experience that kind of peace?

In prayer, offer those situations or issues to God and resist the urge to pick them back up later.

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Devotions

Old and New

Read Revelation 21:10-22:5.

In John’s vision, we have a contrast between the old (Roman Empire) and the new (God’s Kingdom). Notice that in the new Jerusalem, the walls that surround the community, offering a sense of security and belonging, have gates that are always open, symbolizing the openness of the community to all who would seek to enter. There are also symbols of abundance and provision. We need not read this book as a promise of death, destruction, and condemnation, but as a revelation of the God of life and love.

In prayer, thank God for the promise that, in the end, Love wins.

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Devotions

Selah

Read Psalm 67.

This is a psalm intended to be used in corporate worship. In it, we see the word, Selah. Used in many of the psalms, scholars believe the word gives instruction to pause. It might have indicated an instrumental interlude. In the midst of singing and offering praise, the congregation is instructed to quiet their voices, still their spirits, and listen. This is a valuable practice that prepares us for a meaningful, impactful expression and experience of worship.

Think about our typical worship service. If a visitor came in, what would they learn about God? What would they assume Christian community to look like if we were their only example? How does the way we relate to one another and to the world reveal what we believe about God?

This week, make it a point to quiet your voice and to still your spirit during the “pauses” in worship such as the prelude or time of silent prayer.

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Devotions

Night Vision

Read Acts 16:9-15.

In this account, Paul and the apostles have been making fruitless attempts to share the gospel message in different regions. In a dream, Paul sees a man who pleads with him to come to Macedonia and help them. After sharing his dream, the group, without hesitation, heads to Macedonia. There, their message is received with openness, many are baptized, and the group gains Lydia as a benefactor. This positive turn of events is only possible because the apostles believe in the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They are willing to listen and to obey.

To what degree do you believe the Holy Spirit still speaks? Have you ever had a vision or a dream that you understood to be God trying to call you in a certain direction? How did you respond? How open are you to believing in, listening to, and obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit?

In prayer, consider where God might be speaking through people, feelings, and events in your life right now. How might you respond?

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Devotions

Love One Another

Read John 13:31-35.

In this passage, Jesus gives us a clear picture of what it means to love him: loving one another. That is not always easy. We often respond to people out of our own brokenness, insecurity, or fear, saying things we don’t mean. Or we strike back at people who are operating from their areas of pain. We might ignore a person or gossip about someone with whom we don’t get along.

Sometimes, even within the church family, we are not very good at showing the type of love to which Jesus calls us. And it seems to me that part of the problem is that we have a limited understanding of this love that Jesus is prescribing for the Christian community. He’s not saying we should always have warm, fuzzy feelings about each other. Sometimes being loving means being honest or holding someone accountable, but to do so with gentleness. C.S. Lewis said, “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” May that be our goal and may our community of faith be known for that type of love.

Think about the people you have a difficult time loving. Offer each of these people to God in prayer, seeking only their ultimate good.