Reading: Acts 1
Pray. Go. Tell. (See yesterday's entry). The call of every follower of Jesus. Perhaps, at times, we are prone to focus on the going. Especially, in America, where we do not see enough of it at times. When is the last time, you introduced yourself to your neighbors or invited them over for a dinner? Have you ever crossed over to the over side of town to see what life over there is like? Are we in danger of living in our own bubbles with ipods in our ears on the way to work, blackberries in our hands on the T, laptops on the tables of our coffee shops, and TVs on in our homes? Are we missing the simple instruction of loving our neighbors by not first getting to know them?
The temptation may be to put some pressure on one's self. I MUST meet my neighbors. This type of thought only produces anxiety and stress. You are not meeting your neighbor because you love them but because you have to. There is a good chance that your neighbors we will see or feel right through that attitude and show little interest in getting to know you more.
Jesus' solution to what he certainly knew were the disciples' failings - pride and lack of love of others (see Peter and James and John, the "sons of thunder" who wanted to call down fire on people) - was prayer. Prayer is talking to God. It is waiting to listen to him speak. It is a reminder we have a Father who loves us and a Brother who died for us. It is learning to enjoy God's grace and receive his forgiveness and Spirit. It is being empowered by the truth and presence of God.
Jesus knew prayer was the key to experiencing the "more" of God. Prayer is not striving. Prayer is simply spending time in relationship with God. We do it both individually and corporately. Alone with the Father and together as a family!
In Acts 1, we see a community of friends who had seen the resurrected Jesus "with one accord devoting themselves to prayer." (Acts 1:14) Young and old, male and female. They are obeying Jesus instruction to wait in the place of prayer. They are devoted to this idea. Not just occasionally doing it. It is a part of their daily lives, and they do it together.
Do you wait in the place of prayer? By yourself? With others? With your church family?
You should for it in this place of experiencing a relationship with our Father in prayer that the Holy Spirit is most often poured out, and we are transformed into a people who gladly go to tell others about the Jesus we love.
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