Reading: Matthew 2:13-23, Acts 2:22-47, Psalm 4, Genesis 9-11

Recall:
Psalm 4:6-8
There are many who say, "O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!
You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.
I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Reflect:
Really, what more does one need than to have gladness in one's heart and a good night's sleep? If I have that, then everything else is both possible and inconsequential! And that is what a relationship with Jesus brings.

Acts 2:42 is a snapshot of the inner life of the first-century church. They learned, they fellowshiped, they prayed, they shared in rituals. The call for us 20 centuries later is the same.

Respond:
These two short, simple passages alone are enough to send me out to the street for the rest of my life. It is so simple. We are given explicit instructions on how to partake of the Divine, how to make life work, how to have a glad heart and a good night's sleep. It's all right here!

I have a two-fold responsibility. First I need to, as they say, put on my own oxygen mask first--seek Jesus in all that I do. I must intentionally, doggedly make room for Jesus in my life through reading the Bible, praying, and meditating.

And then, just as intentionally, just as doggedly, make the opportunity of a relationship with Jesus available to everyone else around me.