June 23 - Daily Pause
June 23, 2020 | Leah Lynch
Read: Acts 2:42-47
Reflection: One of my favorite things to do as I am reading Scripture, is to ponder “I wonder” statements. For example, “I wonder what Noah was thinking as God shut the door of the ark.” It provides a sense of connection to the story because I can imagine what it would have been like.
Looking at these verses in Acts 2 that talk about all that the believers were doing during those early days of the church, I wonder what the atmosphere was like. I imagine there was a whole myriad of things —excitement, passion, relief, as well as questions and uncertainty of the future. Between the triumphal entry, the crucifixion, the empty tomb, the ascension, and now the coming of the Holy Spirit, in the two or so months leading up to this point, people had experienced unexpected things that had rocked their world, and that’s not to mention the three years of Jesus’ ministry leading up to it. I imagine there was quite the buzz.
But, amidst all of the excitement and uncertainty, there was a constant—connection. Connection with God and with each other. Verse 42 said they devoted themselves to these things. This was a continual connection, not a one-and-done.
Wherever you find yourself right now, there’s a good chance that, in some way, you have experienced some unexpected things over the last few months that may have rocked your world. Let’s take the example of the believers in the early church and make it our own. Let’s be devoted to a continual connection with God and with others.
As you pause to connect with God, what is, at least one change you can make that will allow margin for your connection with Him to be on-going? How can a continual devotion to the things mentioned in these verses strengthen our relationship with God and with others?
Prayer: Abba, thank you that you created us for connection. Thank you that you never intended for us to do life alone. We see the enthusiasm of those in the early church and we want the same. Reveal to us where and how we can make changes that will allow for our connections with you and others to be on-going. In Jesus' name, amen.