Scripture text for Tuesday, April 13th, 2010: Acts 3:1-4:37
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Our passages today are Acts 3:1-4:37. As I read through this weeks passages, I struggled to see what God wanted me to share with you. Then one thing kept jumping out at me! He was filled with the Holy Spirit, in 4:8, 4:25 and 4:31. As Dan shared on Sunday the Holy Spirit is a light for us. When we accept Christ our light has been lit, it is small, and as we grow in our faith our light grows and shines brighter. When we get into scripture and pray we have a greater opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit in fullness of light!! This verses explains it well 2 Corinthians 4:6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of the darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light and the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
In Acts 3 Peter accepted the challenge to shine and spread the good news of Christ to those in the temple that day by healing a crippled man and then explaining to all those around that it was through Jesus Christ of Nazareth that this man walks. Peter and John get in trouble for sharing the message and using Jesus’s name to explain it. The next day Peter and John are asked by what power or what name did you do this and Peter is then filled with the Holy Spirit and shares again the good news of Christ.
In Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. One thing that should be made clear is that Peter was a fisherman. Jesus transformed Peter into a fisher of men,(Matthew 4:19). Peter was a regular unschooled man!! Just like you and I. The Holy Spirit provided Peter with boldness and confidence to spread the good news of Christ!!
In February my Grandfather passed away unexpectedly. On the plane ride out to Spokane I was urged not once but twice by the Holy Spirit to write a letter to my Grandfather and then urged to share the letter at the memorial service. You see in the letter I shared how my Grandfathers faith had influenced me and it was such an awesome opportunity to witness to my family in a non-threatening way. There was no way that I did that on my own!! The Holy Spirit filled me that day and allowed me to speak without sobbing and blubbering. It was an awesome and humbling experience to feel His presence so clearly. I was amazed!
As we get into God’s word and pray we are more likely to yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him lead us. As the Holy Spirit fills us our light will shine for others to see and hopefully it will shine so bright it will spread like a wild fire! Lets be fishers of men and women!!
Devotion prepared by Stephanie Stout