With a Subtitle: Carrying the joy of the table into a daily fellowship that honors God.
A brief Excerpt: The early church broke bread daily with gladness and simplicity of heart. Our challenge is to carry that fellowship over, continuing daily in worship even when the doors are locked.
Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Acts 2:46, “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.”
Background
In our family’s week of activity, some of the homeschooling takes place at night, and particularly the extra-curricular activities. Of the multiple nights of dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading, Mondays are the most full. Since the night’s hustle and bustle doesn’t conclude until 9pm, our dinners have morphed into DiGiorno pizzas, which some of them look forward to, and special requests, like the sautéed shrimp I made for a couple of them last night. As some were eating, I noticed one had forgotten to say their blessing, and so I gently reminded them that it’s important to be thankful even in the smallest of things. On the nights when we do gather for dinner, the conversation and mood are evident and on display. There is no need to probe deeply to determine how someone is feeling or how their day has gone. There is, to quote from scripture, gladness and simplicity of heart. So it is no great surprise that the Holy Spirit was producing heavenly joy and unity around the dinner tables of the followers of Jesus as He grew His church. Being filled with a meal is already a natural time to enjoy contentment, so how much more as you share your time and table with fellow believers in the Savior.
Application
But our challenge is to take that fellowship that we foster and enjoy during meals and have it carry over with one accord as we continue daily. We do not have the blessing of gathering daily to feed and be fed as the early church did, and Wednesday night services at church are a struggle while Sunday nights have gone the way of the dinosaur. But the need is still there, and God still wants to add daily to His church, even if the doors are locked. But it will have to be done differently, and it might require some initiative and ingenuity on your part. But as you continue to seek the Lord, focusing on the cross that is the great equalizer, your gladness and simplicity of heart will overflow, and God will be honored. That worship can occur daily, hourly, or even more frequently. And that is the mark of a true follower.
Charge
As we seek Him today, continue daily in things that are worth continuing daily in.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
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