Acts 1:12-14:
Then they turned back
into Jerusalem from a mountain – the one which is being called Mount Olive –
which is near to Jerusalem about a Sabbath journey on the road. And when they went into the upper room they
went up where they were staying. And
they were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Phillip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew,
James of Alphaeus, Simeon the zealot, and Judah of James. All these ones were intently engaged the
prayer in one accord with women – even Mary the mother of Jesus and his
brother.
Thoughts for Today:
First Thought:
The disciples
listen! Actually, this is pretty typical about a disciple.
Disciples might not always understand the first time something is said, but
once they learn and understand a lesson they apply it to their life. It
just makes sense. If Jesus tells me to do something and I don’t apply it
to my life, then I’m not really His disciple, am I? So it is important
today to note the obedience of Jesus' disciples.
How obedient am I (or
are you) to Jesus’ calling for us?
Second Thought:
In the upper room,
the disciples are gathered with the women followers for the purpose of
prayer. Notice that the Bible tells us specifically that they were there
for prayer. They weren’t there for fellowship (although that is important) , they weren’t
there for service (although that is important, too), and they weren’t there for giving of
themselves (certainly this is important,
too). They were there for prayer. When God’s people want to prepare
themselves to do God’s work, we begin in prayer. And we don’t pray alone
– we pray in the company of others.
How much do we
reflect that in our lives? Do we spiritually pray often with others?
How good are we at opening up completely and totally in our spirituality
and letting other people see our prayerful relationship with God?
Third Thought:
Jesus’ brothers are
said to be among the group gathered in Jerusalem. This is really cool,
because we know that when Jesus was alive that His family thought He was
nuts. They thought that Jesus had gone off the deep end. {See Mark 3:21 as an example of this.}
But when Jesus died and was resurrected, his family members were likely some of
the people that Jesus visited before He ascended. They were willing to
change their opinion about Him once they saw God work through Him.
How neat is it when
people who think we are nuts finally begin to understand what Christianity is
really all about?
Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 1:15-20
5 comments:
I don't know why but the song "Awake and Alive" by Skillet popped into my head when I read this passage. the lyrics are just totally awesome and kinda relate to the passage. :)
Oh really? Which lyrics tied in?
That is a pretty cool song ... I'm always looking to learn how other people hear faith in lyrics so that I can apply it later when I am teaching along these lines...
like over the passages before this one too. it suits the Disciples don't you think? Especially when they do what God has called them to do like the lyrics would be "
I can feel you in my sleep
In your arms, I feel you breathe into me
Forever hold this heart that I will give to you
Forever I will live for you" Get my drift I guess?
I absolutely do get your drift. I think that's a neat correlation - and I definitely think that you are correct in that it applies not just here but to the earlier passages. Prolly even applies to the whole growth of the disciples.
To carry out the analogy, the end of the song repeats "waking up, waking up." One could say that this is the process of discipleship. Awakening to a greater and greater revelation of God in our life.
Exactly :)
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