15th Week Luke 24 & Acts Intro - 2, plus Sierra's Podcast (Click her to see Video Intro)

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Click on Blue Title for Video Introduction

Monday, Luke  Chapter 24
Luke 24 
Verse 53
Jane Jones
October 30, 2004

Verse 53:  "And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." 

THOUGHT
Can you imagine how thrilled, excited and happy the disciples, the Mary's, and Jesus' family were when they heard the news about Jesus? The elation must have been awesome. I thought it perfect that they went to the temple, staying continually, praising God. What a great show of appreciation for what God had done through Jesus Christ. They felt the closest to God and Jesus in the temple. 

To sum it up, Luke's Gospel portrays Jesus as the perfect example of a life lived according to God's plan...as a child living in obedience to his parents and yet amazing the religious leaders in the temple; as an adult serving God and others through preaching and healing; and finally as a condemned man suffering without complaint. 

As believers living according to God's plan, we too should obey our Lord in every detail as we seek to restore people's bodies and souls to the health and salvation God has in store for them. If we want to know how to live a perfect life, we can look to Jesus as our example. 

PRAYER 
God, You are perfect. Jesus was perfect. Our goal is to strive to be like You and live a life like You. We pray that we will look to Jesus as our example. We thank You for the chance to ask for forgiveness for our imperfect ways. You are an awesome God, and You have shown us that through the life of Jesus. We love You, Jesus.  AMEN 


Tuesday, Let's Go For A Walk     with Sierra Ruden
 



Proud to announce my Granddaughter, Sierra's new Podcast.  She is a Freshman at UNI and is excited about being a Christian and bringing others to the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ.  Her Intro explains the Podcast and then interviews fellow Christians who are excited about the Lord as she is.  She interviewed me on her 2nd Podcast.  It explains the history of the Salt Shakers and Biblical Shakers. 
Please check it out and encourage any young adult to check it out. Sierra will have a new podcast with a new interview each week.   

She can be listened to on your Podcast App, Instagram, or Spotify



Wednesday, Acts Intro
Acts Intro
Verse 8
Jeanie Boldt
October 31, 2004

Verse 8: (This is the main verse for the whole book.)  "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

THOUGHT 
Acts is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. We are just following along in the right order as written by Luke. Acts is the story of the birth of the church. Living examples of the work of the Holy Spirit will be read by us, and we will see what a strong part of the trinity this Spirit is. 

The first part of the book is about Peter's ministry followed by Paul's ministry in the second part. Both describe stories of the Spirit-led boldness of these first-century believers, who through suffering and in the face of death, have taken every opportunity to tell of their crucified and risen Lord.  How is our faith? How are we doing as believers in spreading the 'GOOD NEWS'? Let's think of these questions each and every day as we study this book. 

Let’s not just sit on the table.  Let’s pick ourselves up and do a little shaking for the Lord our Savior, Jesus Christ.    

PRAYER 
God, My Father and Jesus, My Friend, we thank You and honor You for the other part of the trinity, the Holy Spirit. It is through this very special being that we find the desire and ability to want to love You enough to go tell others and spread the WORD. We know that when the Holy Spirit works, there is movement, excitement, and growth.  We pray that He will give us the motivation, energy, and ability to get the Gospel to all those we come in contact with. We are excited about reading this encouraging book to excite us and urge us on to do Your work. We give You all praise, glory and honor as we daily seek Your Word and truth.  AMEN 


Thursday, Acts Chapter 1
Acts 1
Verse 5
Jeanie Boldt
November 1, 2004

Verse 5:  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

THOUGHT 
I heard a wonderful message on the first 10 verses of this chapter with Heather at Bethel Baptist Church on April 30, 2000, the weekend of her Intervarsity Banquet.  Pastor David gave a great message and made the following 4 points: 
1. Hold on to the truth of the past.
2. Focus on the task at hand.
3. Act according to God’s timing.
4. Live in the future of HOPE for Christ’s return.
From the first 10 verses I chose verse 5 as my special one.  

Do you know when the Holy Spirit came into your heart and made it very full of love, caring and forgiving?  We might not even remember the special time or how it came to being. However, those who are filled, know that they possess this very special part of the Trinity inside them. The Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience.

We cannot belong to Christ without His Spirit. The Spirit is the power of our new lives. He begins a life-long process of change as we become more like Christ. The Spirit also unites the Christian community in Christ. The Spirit can be shared and experienced by all who believe. 

The Lord had to leave us on earth. If He had stayed on earth, His physical presence would have limited the spread of the Gospel because physically He could be in only one place at a time. After Christ was taken up into heaven, He would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent so that God would be with and within His followers. 

PRAYER 
Father God, Thank You for the baptisms of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the fillings it gives us of Joy, Hope, Conviction, Sadness, Faith, Trust, Understanding, Love, Commitment, and the desire to spread the knowledge of You and Your love to others. Keep us ever mindful of that. Please put people and situations in front of us so that we are given the opportunity to share and witness for You. We love You and honor You.  AMEN 



Friday, Acts Chapter 2
Acts 2
Verse 28
Jeanie Boldt
November 2, 2004

Verse 28:  You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. 

THOUGHT 
What is the path that you are on now? Is it where you think the Lord wants you to be? Are you satisfied and fulfilled with what you are doing? Are you happy and filled with JOY? 

There are times in our lives that the path the Lord has us on is a pretty rough one. He will make a way when there seems to be no way. However, it is those paths that take us to a joyous beautiful reunion with our Lord and Savior. 

Then other times the paths are smooth, and the way plainly lit. However, no matter what the path, you must believe that you are in the will of the Lord. If you believe this, you are right where the Lord wants you to be. Faith must take over.  

Then there is the time when the Spirit tells us just to 'be still’.  It is in these times that our spirit has a hard time comprehending. But God cannot clear your way till you are still. 'Be Still’---a deeper step in faith.  

No matter what the path or the way or the waiting, we will be filled with JOY when we are in His presence on our journey. 

He will make those paths known. 

PRAYER 
Father God, Thank You for being our Travel Guide and for the directions that we so greatly want. Make the way clear so that our life may be filled with your JOY and HOPE. Please forgive us when we fail to journey with You. Keep us ever under Your leadership. May You put people on our paths that You would want us to seek for Your Kingdom. We are all on the way seeking Your truth and Your light. AMEN 







Comments

  1. Heather ProehlFebruary 5, 2021 at 12:44 AM

    Thanks for the devotions this week! Fun memory of a blast from the past. Love ya,

    ReplyDelete

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