ACTS 5:42

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

TO PONDER

'Day after day', I don't know about you but for me that phrase has always had a sense of monotony and boredom associated with it. When something happens 'day after day' it tends to become boring or perhaps even a burden or an annoyance, but I do not think this is how the disciples felt as they went out to proclaim the gospel of Jesus every day.

When you read through the book of Acts, it becomes evident fairly quickly that these 12 disciples, now called apostles, were overcome with the joy of the gospel and could not help but share the good news with anyone who would listen. And why wouldn't they, when you hear the kind of things they saw God doing as they got busy proclaiming the good news just as he had commanded them. If you have never read through the entire book of Acts you really should, it is packed full of examples of how God worked through the apostles to bring the message of the gospel to 'all the known world'.

Even in the face of opposition, imprisonment, persecution and execution, these people were not ashamed of the gospel, they were so moved by it that many of them gave their lives for the message just as Jesus his life for them.

So 'day after day'? What does that mean for you? Is today just another dull day full of chores, obligations and burdens, or is it a gift full of opportunities to share the most incredible good news the world has ever received?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that you have given my life a purpose by inviting me to share your good news with others every day. Help me never to lose sight of the joy of the gospel and to always be ready to give a reason for the joy you have placed within me. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle