Daily Reading

Acts 1:1-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 9:11-12

The book of Acts picks up after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It tells us that Jesus spent a period of forty days with His disciples after His resurrection. The disciples were concerned with the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. Jesus, however, was still concerned with personal relationships. He tells the disciples they are to stay in Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit. While Jesus is on earth, He is able to teach & guide the disciples, but once He ascends to heaven, the Holy Spirit will come to be their teacher & helper.

Jesus then simply ascends into the sky. The disciples are obviously dumbfounded by this sight, but two angels tell them that this is the way Jesus will return some day. Remember this prophecy! There will be many who will claim to be Jesus - but you will know the true Jesus by the method in which He returns to earth.

At this time there are about 120 devoted followers of Jesus. However, Jesus had appointed twelve to be the leaders or apostles of the group. Since Judas Iscariot had betrayed Jesus, the disciples prayed for a replacement. Matthias was chosen. Notice they asked the Lord for the replacement. They didn't vote, or discuss it - they left it up to the Lord. How about you - how do you make your decisions? Are you leaving it up to the Lord?

Notice even our psalm leaves it up to the Lord. The psalmist lays his troubles at the Lord's feet & trusts Him to fix it. It's that simple - rely & trust in the Lord. He will fight your battles for you. Yes, this means giving up control. But what does control really do for you? If you truly love & trust the Lord. If you believe He has your best interest at heart, then why not give Him control over your life. Stop struggling & start trusting.