Scripture: Acts 8:4-40
In this chapter of Acts we see two people trying to figure out this whole Jesus, God, Holy Spirit thing…
- The magician: After hearing Philip preach, he believed and was baptized, but he didn’t have a repentant heart…He offered the apostles money to share in the power of the Holy Spirit, but they rebuked Him for trying to use money to obtain the free gift of God.
- And the Ethiopian: after Philip explained the scriptures to him, he believed, and simply asked to be baptized, and he “went on his way rejoicing.”
It all comes down to the heart and it’s all so much simpler than we try to make it. The Lord provides for us. He sends us help when we need it.
We can’t buy the power of the Holy Spirit, and we can’t buy salvation. It’s a free gift. We may need help understanding it at first, but we just have to ASK and be receptive to His teaching. Let His word speak to your heart. Let the Holy Spirit be your Helper. If you still don’t understand it then ask someone who does to help you out! Let them be your Philip!
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
Journal: If there is something in today’s scripture that you don’t understand then write your questions down. If you have time to study today then start digging! (You can use the tools at blueletterbible.org as a starting point.) If you’re in the Bible Study at my church then bring your questions with you…we can work it out together.
Don’t let your questions hinder your growth; let them cause you to dig deeper!
Move: Let’s run and add in bits of fast running. You can pick a landmark and keep doing the fartleks like I’ve talked about in the past or you can get a timer going on your watch and do more uniform intervals. Whatever gets you moving out of your comfort zone!
{Beginner’s run #14: warm-up with a 5-minute walk, then run 6 minutes/walk 1 minute x3, then cool-down with a 5-minute walk.}
Praise the Lord, and keep showing up!
Free and Fearless 