“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:44–45
What is a two-year-old’s favorite word? “No”? “Please”? “Dadda”? “Mine!” would certainly qualify. When a young child sees someone playing with a desirable toy, he or she will often proceed to rip it out of the child’s hands and squeal, “Mine!” That fact is, all kids are selfish. People are born with a sinful human nature that is naturally ungenerous and selfish. We want what we want, when we want it.
But do you notice something different in the Scripture text for today? What does it say about the first followers of Jesus? It says they were together and “had all things in common.” They did not act like selfish two-year-olds by trying to keep their possessions away from others. Instead, they were willing to share “as any had need.”
The gospel begins to change us when we recognize that God is not selfish with us. This helps us be generous with each other. God did the most selfless thing imaginable by giving us his Son, in order to save us from his just wrath for sin. God is the ultimate giver, and as we see what he’s done for us, we become people who love to give.
Read
2 Peter 1:2–3 and 2 Corinthians 9:8
Scripture tells us over and over that, because of God’s generosity, we have everything we need.
- Do you believe you have everything you need? Why or why not?
- What do others around you need? How can you serve them?
Prayer
Our Father, thank you for being so generous with us. Thank you for giving us yourself through your Son, in order to pay the price for our sins, which we could never pay. May we demonstrate we understand this by the way we live our lives, just as your first followers did. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from Week 5 of the Acts Study Guide.
