The first chapters of Acts tell us about some of the last actions of Jesus in His earthly ministry and set the stage for the things that the apostles will go into the world and do. We can learn a lot from what the apostles and the early church did, and something noteworthy in Acts 1 comes from Acts 1:14. The disciples were getting ready to choose a replacement for Judas and to go out into the world. Before they went forward; however, Acts tells us that “all these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.” So, what does it look like to be devoted to prayer? The image that springs into my mind is a bunch of people all kneeling in a circle (for some reason) in a room with their heads bowed, eyes closed, and hands folded. I don’t think that’s quite right though. If we devote our lives to prayer, that doesn’t mean we should abandon doing anything else or neglect the other things in our lives. Instead, we should weave prayer into our daily routines. A life devoted to prayer doesn’t necessarily look like kneeling in an empty room. It might look like bowing your head before you eat lunch or taking a minute to pray before you get into your work for the day or stopping in a contentious conversation and offering to pray with the person. Devoting your life to pray doesn’t necessarily mean praying all the time, but rather always looking for times to pray.
Today’s B.I.B.L.E. Takeaways:
Blessings from God
God promises to pour out the Holy Spirit on His people, a promise that is fulfilled in these chapters.
Instructions for Us
We too are called to devote our lives to prayer.
Biblical Connections
Acts 2 sees a fulfillment of the promise made in John 14:16-18 and again in Acts 1:4-5.
Laborious Understandings
Nothing in these verses strikes me as particularly difficult to deal with.
Enjoyable Passages
My favorite verse from these chapters is Acts 1:8 as Jesus promises His power behind the mission to go and make disciples.
Topics to Pray About:
Thank God for supporting His mission and hearing our prayers
Confess to God the times when you don’t stop or don’t think to pray
Ask for God to put reminders into your life to pray regularly
Devoted
Acts 1-2
The first chapters of Acts tell us about some of the last actions of Jesus in His earthly ministry and set the stage for the things that the apostles will go into the world and do. We can learn a lot from what the apostles and the early church did, and something noteworthy in Acts 1 comes from Acts 1:14. The disciples were getting ready to choose a replacement for Judas and to go out into the world. Before they went forward; however, Acts tells us that “all these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.” So, what does it look like to be devoted to prayer? The image that springs into my mind is a bunch of people all kneeling in a circle (for some reason) in a room with their heads bowed, eyes closed, and hands folded. I don’t think that’s quite right though. If we devote our lives to prayer, that doesn’t mean we should abandon doing anything else or neglect the other things in our lives. Instead, we should weave prayer into our daily routines. A life devoted to prayer doesn’t necessarily look like kneeling in an empty room. It might look like bowing your head before you eat lunch or taking a minute to pray before you get into your work for the day or stopping in a contentious conversation and offering to pray with the person. Devoting your life to pray doesn’t necessarily mean praying all the time, but rather always looking for times to pray.
Today’s B.I.B.L.E. Takeaways:
Blessings from God
God promises to pour out the Holy Spirit on His people, a promise that is fulfilled in these chapters.
Instructions for Us
We too are called to devote our lives to prayer.
Biblical Connections
Acts 2 sees a fulfillment of the promise made in John 14:16-18 and again in Acts 1:4-5.
Laborious Understandings
Nothing in these verses strikes me as particularly difficult to deal with.
Enjoyable Passages
My favorite verse from these chapters is Acts 1:8 as Jesus promises His power behind the mission to go and make disciples.
Topics to Pray About:
In His Service,
J. LeBorious