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Read:Acts 4:33-34
Listen: Acts 4

“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.” Acts 4:33

The early church shares their possessions despite the cultural moment. They are economically depressed, heavily taxed by Rome and have experienced a series of famines. Yet, “there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:34). They help each other because they know God has restored them to himself by grace. This new community understands that sin separated them from God. But God’s grace, his undeserved generosity, restored them to friendship with him. Believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit, bear witness to this good news of Jesus Christ. Because of this mindset shift, they serve one another.

God has extended that same grace to us. Before we did anything to deserve God’s unmerited favor, he gave us his Son, Jesus. The apostle Paul reminds us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus came down, lived a perfect life, died in our place and God raised him from the dead. He now offers forgiveness and invites us to believe and follow him. The natural result of God’s grace is to extend grace to others. Grace in. Grace out. This week, we will explore how God’s grace motivates us to serve one another.

TODAY: Pause and consider the impact of the good news of Jesus. If you have never accepted Jesus’s gift of forgiveness, today can be the day! Pray and tell God that you are a sinner and need him as your Lord and Savior. If you have accepted his gift of forgiveness, thank God for his grace. Ask him for help never to get over what he has done for you.