Posts with the tag “acts”

Daily Devotional from Acts 19--Verses 19-20And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.That’s Radical right? When I first came to Jesus, I remember throwing a bunch of thi...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 15—Verses 7-9And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouththe Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 12--Verses 5-12 (selected)So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary…where many were gathered togethe...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 28--Verse 24 (CSB)Some were persuaded by what [Paul] said, but others did not believe.Isn’t it encouraging that it tells us that not everyone agreed with Paul? When we think about him, we sometimes think he’s some sort of Spiritual superhero that convinced everyone about Jesus. But here it tells us that some people still didn’t believe what he was saying. Even Paul could...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 27--Verse 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.Paul and his traveling companions had been tossed about by stormy weather and monster waves for so long they had given up hope. They were beaten down by unrelenting, hope-draining circumstances.The sailors lost faith in their sh...  Read More

Daily Devotional of Acts 26--Verse 8Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?One of the reasons I consider myself a Pentecostal believer is because of statements like this. Is there anything too difficult for God? If he created the world out of nothing, why is it thought incredible that God should raise the dead? Is it beyond him to heal sickness, to cast out demons, to ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 25--Verse 25But I have found that he had done nothing deserving death.Have you ever been falsely accused? It’s frustrating, painful, and in Paul’s case—even a life or death situation.I love how Paul is cool under pressure during his trial. He states, “I do not seek to escape death.” Even though he knew he didn’t deserve to die. Whatever accusations were thrown at him, Pa...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 24--Verse 16So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.This is interesting what Paul is saying here. Keeping a good conscience toward God and man is the best thing you can do, but to keep it up, you must mold your will to God’s and it’s painful. Following God is not always easy; we often want something different and we need to be humble eno...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 23--Verse 11 (CSB)The following night, the Lord stood by [Paul] and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”Paul has been in a very precarious situation over the last few chapters (and will continue through the rest of Acts). He is consistently on trial for preaching and teaching the good news o...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 22--Verses 21-22And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”Why such a harsh response to Paul’s re-telling of the events that led to his conversion, and his God-given mission to the Gentile...  Read More

Daily Devotional of Acts 21--Verse 13What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. What’s the worst thing that can happen to you? If you fear it, then it will be your master. But if you don’t, you get to be the boss. For much of my early life I had a fear of dying, until I finally had enough....  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 20—Verse 24But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.It’s natural to fear death, but Paul didn’t. He knew that his end was near, and he rested in the assurance he had in Christ. He knew that if he died, he would be w...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 19--Verses 19-20And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.That’s Radical right? When I first came to Jesus, I remember throwing a bunch of thi...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 18--Verse 9And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent…Sometimes we can get really discouraged when we feel we are not being heard when we talk about the goodness of God. We think “what’s the point?… no one is listening anyway.” Paul came up against a lot of opposition everyplace he went! But Jesus encourage...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 17--Verse 21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.Things never change. Today we have social media fans, who have nothing better to do than swipe through multitudes of  tweets, Tic Tok posts and web sites looking for something new to entertain themselves with. It was the same for ...  Read More

Daily Devotional of Acts 16--Verse 6They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. Asia was a province on the western end of modern-day Turkey. It had remained untouched during Paul’s first missionary journey, and now he had hopes of going there during his second. But the Holy Spirit said, “No.” Why? Why does God shut down p...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 15—Verse 11But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.In the Jerusalem Council, the early Church leaders made an important decision that was guided by the Holy Spirit: Gentiles (non-Jews) did not have to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses. This was huge for the Church, and for new believers. It was the decision t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 14—Verse 15Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.No matter what amazing work God does through any other person, remember, they are just people. People who are no greater tha...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 13--Verses 38-39Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. Everyone who believes is justified through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.What good news! Paul, as a recent convert, is standing tall in the Synagogue and proclaiming the ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 12--Verses 15-16They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.Many were gathered together at the house of Mark (the gospel writer), praying for Peter. He was imprisoned  according to Herod’s orders, probably to s...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 11--Verses 25-26Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.Everybody had grave suspicions when it came to this fellow named Saul. And for good reason. He wreaked havoc upon the church for years. And recent reports of him now claiming to follow Jesus was probably just interpreted as some kind of ploy. Allow him admittanc...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 10--Verse 28b…but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. This thought was revolutionary to the Jews. Not only was Jesus for them—He was for the whole world. Those of us who aren’t Jewish people were not excluded from the promises of God. That’s pretty exciting! It’s easy to put people in ‘otherness’ boxes. “Oh, he’ll never become a Christia...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 9—Verse 21And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”This is an important lesson for us in at least two ways:1. We should not try to limit what God can do in anyone’s life. Sometimes the people who ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 8—Verses 30-31When Philip ran up to it, he heard [the Ethiopian man] reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.The Ethiopian man was intrigued by the Jewish scriptures. He was reading them aloud, trying to understand them, but couldn’t. ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 7--Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.Stephen was one of the seven chosen by the apostles to take care of practical needs of believers, while the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and ministry of the Word. Yet, full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen was working many signs and wonders, spreading the good news, making conve...  Read More

Daily Devotional of Acts 6--Verse 7And the Word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly. Do you see the correspondence? Sowing and Reaping. Seedtime and Harvest. One comes before the other. Some people hold the notion that the church brought forth the Scriptures. But this text shows us that the Scriptures are actually responsible for the church. When the Wo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 5—Verses 41-42Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.Wow. The apostles were beaten—and they rejoiced!It’s so backwards in our world to find joy when we suffer. It’s human nat...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 4—Verses 29-31“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 3--Verses 9-10All the people saw [the lame beggar] walking and praising God, and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.Our testimony of what God has done in our lives is the best witness of Jesus in our lives. Everyone knew who this man was...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 2--Verse 42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.After Pentecost, the early Christians, before they were even known as Christians, were devoted to spending time together. Our verse today, and others that follow, tell us they were sharing meals together, praying, praising God, selling property to...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Acts 1--Verse 7It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.Whenever our family goes on a long trip, our youngest child will usually and persistently ask, “When are we getting there?” And often our response is the same, “we’re not sure; just enjoy the ride.” I think God answers that question similarly, “Just trust me on the timing ...  Read More

Acts 28:20It is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. The hope of Israel that Paul is referring to is Jesus. And there were years that Paul traveled abroad, and there were times he was confined in prison. But whatever state he found himself in, he learned the art of contentment. This is where we leave Paul, the traveler extraordinaire: in a chain. This is our last view of the...  Read More

Acts 27:22Yet now I urge you to take heart. Chapter 27 is a difficult read to say the least. Talk about burning calories. It takes it out of you just reading the narrative. Seems the storm will never end. One challenge right after another. And then it says in verse 20, neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and all hope of our being saved was abandoned. In other words, we’re done. And then P...  Read More

Acts 26:8Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? One of the reasons I consider myself a Pentecostal believer is because of statements like this. Is there anything too difficult for God? If he created the world out of nothing, why is it thought incredible that God should raise the dead? Is it beyond him to heal sickness, to cast out demons, to supply finances, to produc...  Read More

Acts 25:11I appeal to Caesar. Paul had a dream of bringing a huge offering to Jerusalem, then the plan was to take the gospel to Rome, the capital of the empire (Acts 19:11). And that’s exactly what happened, but not before he faced some serious setbacks. As a result of preaching the gospel, Paul spends two full years in jail (Acts 24:27). Then, still embroiled in legal affairs, he appealed to Cae...  Read More

Acts 24:16I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. May we always have a tender heart. If something is not right in our relationship with God, we should go talk with Him. This is called keeping our conscience clear. There’s nothing worse than soldiering through life with a conflicted conscience. Do yourself a favor and make it right. But did you hear what Paul said? W...  Read More

Acts 23:3God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! I love the Bible. It doesn’t cover over the humanity of some of our greatest heroes. Paul pens the beautiful words, “Love is patient, love is kind.” He lists one of the fruits of the Spirit as self-control. And, yet, what we see here is neither patient, kind, nor self-controlled. He was slapped in the mouth and he shot back with some bitte...  Read More

Acts 22:22Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he shall not be allowed to live.” What was the word that set them off? “Gentiles.” The Jews had no problem with Gentiles coming to God, for there was even a court of the Gentiles present at the temple. The Jews just had a problem with Gentiles coming to God without f...  Read More

Acts 21:13What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. What’s the worst thing that can happen to you? If you fear it, then it will be your master. But if you don’t, you get to be the boss. For much of my early life I had a fear of dying, until I finally had enough. I had to look fear in the ...  Read More

Acts 20:35It is more blessed to give than to receive. As a parent, you know that most, if not all disagreements your children have is basically trying to get something from the other. Sometimes, however, I like to flip the script. I’ll step in and say, “Hey guys, instead of arguing over what you can get from each other, I want you to argue for what you can give to each other. Go ahead and try it.”...  Read More