Honor God
Help People
Continual Devotion
June 1, 2018They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 2:42-44
1. BE DEVOTED TO JESUS. The Early Church had a mission to go into the whole world and make disciples. Since Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we still have that same assignment (2 Corinthians 5:18; Hebrews 13:8). We have the same Jesus, the same Holy Spirit, the same potential, and therefore the same direction to continually devote ourselves, saying, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15b).
2. IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. Endurance has decisional aspects. In the 1968 Olympics, marathon runner John Stephen Akhwari chose to complete the race despite an injury. His response when asked why he didn’t quit: “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.” Like the forerunners in the Bible – Esther, Noah, Abraham, Ruth, Moses – let’s keep running our own race and continually devote ourselves to a life of pursuing God.
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47
3. GOD USES REGULAR PEOPLE WHO ARE HUMBLE OF HEART. When you look at the Early Church and the great men and women of old, you’ll see that it was not by human might or power that they accomplished great things but by God’s Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). God is the one who is helping us accomplish His purposes (Philippians 2:13). We run with endurance so that at the end of our lives we can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Our endurance and our devotion to Jesus – like those who have gone before us – will resound through all eternity.
Press on,
Pastor Jeff
DAILY CONFESSION:
Since I have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding me, I lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles, and I run with endurance the race that is set before me. I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2a).
de·vo·tion, noun
Commitment to some purpose. The willingness to serve God. Loyalty and love or care for someone or something.
Copyright © 2018 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. “devotion.” Memidex Dictionary/Thesaurus. Web. 30 May 2018
