Last week, I finished up 2 Timothy and set off to start reading Acts! So far, this has been one of my favorite books of the bible. I love the boldness of Peter and John, and through them we see the picture of what happens when we do God’s work, remain at the center of His will, and say yes to the callings and convictions He gives us. The miracles and perfect plans that prevail because of God working through these men, who offer themselves up as living sacrifices for the Lord, are so powerful to read.
A couple of days ago, I was reading through Acts 4, and the last paragraph in particular stuck out to me, titled: “The Believers Share Their Possessions”. I highlighted it, loving the message that it gave. That same day, as I was reading the book “Kisses From Katie”, the same exact verses popped up in the book in the chapter I happened to be reading that day. With God, nothing is coincidental. I knew the Lord was speaking these verses to me, wanting me to reflect on them. Here is what they say:
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:32-34).
This kind of obedience to the Lord is what I seek to have. God calls us to love Him and our neighbors above all else. The disciples in Acts knew that their possessions weren’t really theirs; they were God’s. Because of that, they gave their money selflessly to God’s work- serving and loving others. Their love for God was evident by how they loved and served the people around them.
God calls us to help the needy. God calls us to help the poor. God calls us to help the oppressed. God calls us to offer ourselves, our physically body, our time, our money, our resources to Him; and they truly are His anyways.
When we offer ourselves to the Lord, we become the instrument that He uses to love His people, and this will bring you more contentment and joy than you will ever find from anything of this world. And this, my friends, is what God wants for you. He loves you so much, that He wants to use you, He wants to give you purpose, He wants you to experience joy and contentment, and He wants to use you to help other people do the same.
So, I want to challenge both of us. What does it look like in this next season of life to offer yourself as a sacrifice to the Lord? How can you further His kingdom and live out His will in your everyday life? Ask Him. Pray to Him. Seek Him. Ask Him to convict you and use you, and He will.
My goal for this mission is that my team and I will love and serve like the believers in Acts 4:32-34. I pray God helps us to be one in heart in mind, as Acts 4:32 states. I pray that we are selfless, offering ourselves and our resources to the Lord and His people. I pray that we have many opportunities to share of the resurrection of Jesus. And lastly, I pray that God’s work is so powerful among us that there are no needy. I pray that we live out this Acts 4 passage. And I pray for you, in this phase of life, that you live out this passage in the ways the Lord convicts you.
