For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Acts 7
At the start of his speech, Stephen said that God didn’t give Abraham an inheritance – not even a foot – in the Promised Land. My first thought, which Stephen later mentioned, was the plot of land that Abraham bought when Sarah died. So why did Stephen say that Abraham had no land there? Ah – but that’s not quite what Stephen said. He said God, “didn’t give him an inheritance in it” (Acts. 7:5a). In fact, God did not give that plot of land to Abraham. Abraham purchased it himself. How fascinating, then, that the purpose of this cave and field was for the burial of the dead. This is one more graphic example of the truth. What we purchase for and of ourselves leads only to death. God’s inheritance for us, however, which He freely gives us, is the land of the living.
Acts 8
Severe persecution broke out in Jerusalem and the growing body of believers scattered to the four winds. What happened next? Did they go into hiding out of fear? Did they forget their roots or lose their connection to each other and slowly drift away? Perhaps the “Jesus Movement” weakened and died down, as the religious leaders hoped. Nope. Not so much. “So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word.” (Acts. 8:4).
It doesn’t matter where we go or what happens to us. The living God still dwells within us. We still possess resurrection power, which is Christ Himself. We still have victory over the power of fear and death. And we still have good news to share. So we go on doing what Jesus commissioned us to do, hopefully without skipping a beat. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16).
Acts 9
Sometimes I find the details in the Bible to be downright amusing. Or amazing. Or both. I’m not saying that there is intentional meaning in every little thing, though there often is. But sometimes the wordplay, if you will, is hard to ignore. God sent Ananias to a street called “Straight”, to the house of Judas, to find a man from Tarsus, which means something like, “the sole of the foot”. Or you could say that God sent Ananias to a former betrayer whose path had been set right in order to carry the Good News to the ends of the earth.