July 2
Acts 21:18-36
When a friend shares good news with you, what is your response? Do you celebrate with them, give them a hug or high five, or to be honest, maybe you just kind of shrug your shoulders? When Paul came to the church in Jerusalem, he shared what God had done among the Gentiles and their response was to praise God.
When the church heard good news, they praised God. They recognized that every single good and beautiful thing is a gift from God. Therefore the perfect, proper response is to praise God. We often say things like congratulations, that’s amazing, how wonderful, but do we ever say “praise God” when good news is celebrated with us? This is always the most appropriate reaction to anything positive that is shared with us. Then after praising God, we should be seeking to join God in what he is doing. For Paul this meant voluntarily undergoing purification rites in order to love the Jewish people in Jerusalem well. He did not need to perform these costly rituals for any purpose of his own, but did it to love others. He sacrificed time, money, and freedom to love others, so that they might know the love of Jesus. This life of praise and action should be ours as well. Let us continually worship God and then love others as an overflow of what God is doing in our lives.
Father God, help me to continually worship you for your goodness and greatness. Help me to acknowledge your glory and serve others. Amen.
How would a life of committed praise help you to love others more effectively?
When a friend shares good news with you, what is your response? Do you celebrate with them, give them a hug or high five, or to be honest, maybe you just kind of shrug your shoulders? When Paul came to the church in Jerusalem, he shared what God had done among the Gentiles and their response was to praise God.
When the church heard good news, they praised God. They recognized that every single good and beautiful thing is a gift from God. Therefore the perfect, proper response is to praise God. We often say things like congratulations, that’s amazing, how wonderful, but do we ever say “praise God” when good news is celebrated with us? This is always the most appropriate reaction to anything positive that is shared with us. Then after praising God, we should be seeking to join God in what he is doing. For Paul this meant voluntarily undergoing purification rites in order to love the Jewish people in Jerusalem well. He did not need to perform these costly rituals for any purpose of his own, but did it to love others. He sacrificed time, money, and freedom to love others, so that they might know the love of Jesus. This life of praise and action should be ours as well. Let us continually worship God and then love others as an overflow of what God is doing in our lives.
Father God, help me to continually worship you for your goodness and greatness. Help me to acknowledge your glory and serve others. Amen.
How would a life of committed praise help you to love others more effectively?
Recent
Archive
2026
January
January 1January 2January 3January 4January 5January 6January 7January 8January 9January 10January 11January 12January 13January 14January 15January 16January 17January 18January 19January 20January 21January 22January 23January 24January 25January 26January 27January 28January 29January 30January 31
February
March
Categories
no categories
No Comments