EXPAND TO READ: ACTS 1 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 7): Although this verse is in response to the question about restoring the Kingdom to Israel, I feel it applies to my heart as well. I often feel like things need to be in my timing in this life; typically the “right now” mentality. I often want to reap the fruits of what I sow immediately instead of waiting patiently. Please forgive me for my lack of patience, Father. You tell us in this verse that it is not for me to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. Help me to be better at embracing Your timing of things in this life and worry less about the return on the things I do for Your kingdom. I know the fruits of my labor will be revealed to me when I rejoin You at the latest and I need to remember to be content with that as You are the ultimate provider and anything You provide me in this life or the next is sufficient and perfectly timed because it is in Your timing and not my own.
PROMISE (verse 11): I love the way this promise is worded. They are looking up at Heaven when Jesus ascended and were asked why they are looking to Heaven. They were assured that Jesus would one day return the same way He ascended, which they witnessed. I see this as a statement to us as to stop looking and waiting for His return as it will come in His timing. Instead, we are to keep our eyes on His will for our life by doing His good works and building up our relationship with Him. Help me to keep the promise in my heart of Your return, but not to be so obsessed with it that I neglect the works You want me to do in this life, Father. When You return it will be a glorious day, but until then I must remember that there is a lot of good works to be done in this life.
ATTITUDE (verses 7, 11): Help me to embrace an attitude of patience in my life, Father. In these verses You speak of Your timing, Your return, and that we do not need to know the timing for which You have set as the authority in Heaven. Grant me the spirit of patience in my life so that through all things I am content and satisfied with Your timing. Help me to no longer dwell in my fleshly impatience, Father, so that I remain patient through all things I do in this life regardless of when/if the outcome I’d hope for occurs. Your timing is always relevant and more important than my own and I must remember that being patient is vital to truly experiencing the grace and joy which You bring to my life.
COMMAND (verse 4): When the word “commanded” is in scripture, I guess that means You are speaking directly to us a command that You have for us. Here, Your people are commanded to remain in Jerusalem as they wait for the Father’s promise to be fulfilled. This promise is that of the Holy Spirit, which they are newly baptized with. Thank You for blessing me with the Holy Spirit, Father. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior almost a decade, but I must admit that I didn’t truly feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in me until almost a year ago when I joined the Real Men 300. I know the Holy Spirit was there in me since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, but I was blocking the conversation and relationship with You through my own selfishness and fleshly desires. Thank You for healing and restoring my heart, Father, so that I can truly listen to and embrace the Holy Spirit in my life.
EXAMPLE (verses 7-8): I guess You keep bringing me back to these verses due to their importance in my own life. You essentially tell Your people here that our worldly timing is not Your timing and that we do not need to know Your timing of things, but must remain patient through it all. Additionally, You tell them that they will receive power through the Holy Spirit and will serve as witnesses for all the earth of Your great power and glory. I still find it odd, even after they had been privy to Jesus’ actual ministry on earth (in-person) that they still need a reminder to be patient. All the things they witnessed through Jesus and yet they still find patience a difficult quality to truly embrace. I guess it doesn’t make me feel SO bad, then, that I also suffer from a lack of patience at times. I know that Your timing is better than my own, but my worldly self does take over at times wishing things would happen a little quicker.
*DAILY NOTE: I don’t believe I’ve ever read through the book of Acts in its entirety, so I felt You pushing me here today now that I’ve finished the books of Peter. So far, I see I have a lot of deep conversations to look forward to just from Acts 1. I see Your emphasis today is my lack of patience, or at least that’s what I felt You convicting me of through most of today’s conversation. Thank You, Father, for always trying to point me in the right direction regardless of how rebellious or immature I’ve been throughout my faith. Thank You for never leaving my side, even when I was looking in the other direction at my fleshly desires. Thank You for healing and restoring me enough to the point that I am finally able to feel and hear the Holy Spirit in my life. Thank You for the weeks to come as I navigate through conversations with You in the book of Acts.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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