What Are You Devoted To?
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer … They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.”
Acts 2:42; 46 (NLT)
What are you devoted to in life? Your family? Career? Health? Possessions? Pleasure? Prosperity? What is it that motivates you the most? That’s what you're devoted to. These among other devotions may have been the motivations for thousands of Israelites gathered at Jerusalem for the Festival of Pentecost when in one transformative moment the Holy Spirit invaded their hearts, and they were never the same! That happens when God shows up! Luke records what happened in Acts 2. It was the birth of the New Testament Church! It must have been dynamic, exciting and explosive with growth! The Book of Acts tells us that there were 3,000 people baptized in their first service at Pentecost, and it continued to grow exponentially.
Following that step of baptism, the Bible adds four characteristics that were distinctive of that infant church and contributed to its health and its incredible growth. It says “all the believers devoted themselves to:
the apostle’s teaching,
to fellowship,
to sharing meals including the Lord’s Supper and
to prayer.”
A higher, eternal devotion now motivated all they did! These folks were not religious fanatics. They weren’t weird. But they were passionately in love with Jesus and committed to one another. Imagine what every church could be like if all the members were that devoted to God and to fellowship with one another. It would change our world!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.