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Acts Reading Plan | Week 4 | Day 1
Prayer
Joshua 1:9 says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Pause for a minute. Where are you afraid or discouraged? Say a prayer thanking God that He is with you wherever you go. Ask Him to remind you of that and give him your fear or discouragement.
Bible Reading: Acts 4:13-17
Read these verses three times slowly.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
Reflection & Questions
The religious leaders are speechless and amazed. In their perspective, there is no way Peter and John could heal nor teach with courage and authority. They were “unschooled, ordinary men” – they aren’t qualified or cut out for this kind of role. And yet, Peter and John are doing just that! This is the beauty of the Holy Spirit’s work. This is the result of being “with Jesus.” When we surrender to Him and listen to Him, we can do things and rise to things that we would never have thought. When our lives are built on Jesus, life is simply different. Not easier, but we have a courage, an authority, a strength and a calling that is far greater than we’d ever thought possible.
- Do you talk yourself out of being on mission for Jesus because you don’t feel qualified? What would Peter and John say to you?
- Where have you been holding yourself back from reaching your ONE? How could you pray differently in response to today’s reading and take a courageous step to be on mission? Who knows what God will do!
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
