Verse of the Day 7/17
33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
We've been considering God's presence, His being with us providing grace that we need in facing the trials of life. We've looked back to Joseph, Paul and others in the Bible as examples and we can think of others in our own lives who have faced the trials of life by God's grace; past, present and future. Today's verses states that the apostles gave testimony with great power.
I can think of several people in my life that live their lives with "great power", not of themselves but by God's grace providing "great grace" to face "great trials".
John Piper writes, "The power to witness with faithfulness and effectiveness did not come mainly from memories of grace; it came from the new arrivals of "great grace." "Great grace was upon them all." That's the way it was for the apostles, and that's the way it will be for us in our ministry of witnessing. Whatever added signs and wonders God may show to amplify our witness to Christ, they will come the same way they came for Stephen. "And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8). Grace was arriving from God for all that Stephen needed — eventually all that he would need to die."
I am amazed by the grace and courage in others, but underneath it all is God's grace, past present and future working with great power in them. May you call upon Him and receive this "great grace", not only in times of need, but every day of our lives and let it work with great power in our lives.
Oh, patient Saviour, You make me whole
You are the Author and the Healer of my soul
What can I give You, Lord, what can I say
I know there's no way to repay You
Only to offer You my praise
Your grace still amazes me
Your love is still a mystery
Each day I fall on my knees
'Cause Your grace still amazes me
Your grace still amazes me
It's deeper, it's wider
It's stronger, it's higher
It's deeper it's wider
It's stronger, it's higher than anything my eyes can see
Your grace still amazes me. (Phillips, Craig and Dean)
Mike
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
They Had Everything in Common
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
No comments:
Post a Comment