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Gladness and Simplicity
Andrea Lende • June 19, 2020
Acts 2:46-47
Gladness and Simplicity
Daily Word:
Acts 2:46-47
“And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose, and in their homes they broke bread [including the Lord’s Supper]. They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts,”
“Constantly praising God and being in favor and goodwill with all the people; and the Lord kept adding [to their number] daily those who were being saved [from spiritual death].”
These two verses blessed me today.
Particularly, “They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts”.
Gladness, simplicity, and generosity seem wonderful right now.
I am always looking for simplicity.
And I love that this word is sandwiched between gladness and generous.
Truly lovely.
As I reflect on these words, I am reminded that one of the most painful deaths had just been suffered by Christ.
Just days before gladness, simplicity, and generosity there was an atrocity.
The King of Kings was crucified.
The Messiah, Whom, had been waited on for years and years and years had been hung upon the cross.
The One Who was supposed to save the people was gone.
The Chief Priests had planned the apprehension of Jesus.
There was an outcry from the people to crucify Him.
There were two others besides Jesus that were crucified that day.
It must have been pure chaos and fright for many.
After His death, the people were left powerless.
The ones who followed Jesus must have been completely distraught.
They must have been disillusioned and highly disappointed.
But then the Lord was resurrected.
His followers, believers, and disciples saw Him again!
The truth about Who He was had been finally discovered.
They must not have wanted Him to leave them again.
Of course, He had to go back from where He came from – heaven.
He was lifted to heaven before their eyes.
And all they could do was wait.
Wait for what was promised.
Wait for the Holy Spirit to come and fill them as Jesus had promised.
So, they waited.
And when the Holy Spirit came their lives were changed, again, forever.
Our verse, “They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts”,
did not come easily.
There was a storm before this almost seemingly heaven on earth experience.
As we face the storm today, I am encouraged that gladness, simplicity, and generous hearts will be found once again.
Today I am lifted up by the scripture that found me, and I look forward to times of gladness, simplicity, and generosity.
May you find peace and encouragement in our scripture today and may all gladness, simplicity, and generosity be yours today.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for filling my spirit today with Your Word. Thank You for encouraging me as I desperately needed to be. Thank You for brighter days to come that are filled more with gladness, simplicity, and generosity than today. Help me stand and face today with strength and love as You assure me there are better days to come. Fill my heart with love so that I may give Your love to others even as division and pain seem to overcome our nation. Your love is able to cover the atrocities and abominations that are taking place. Your love can Light the path, Father. Lead us and guide us with Your Light. Help us follow You, Lord, as we go about our days. Continue to encourage our hearts so that we may be a beacon for someone that crosses our path. Bring us all to You, Lord. May our knees bow down to You, Father. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM watching over you and the nation, My child, and will bring gladness, simplicity, and generosity to you all.
Response: I look forward to simpler days, Lord. Thank You for Your Word of encouragement today.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.