Acts 20:32 - How the Bible Becomes Flesh.
Acts 20:32 (NIV) Now I commit you to God and
to the word of his grace, which can build you
up and give you an inheritance among all those
who are sanctified.
COMMENTARY PEARL
When you feed on the Word of God, you
grow. The Bible is your soul food. You can't be
physically healthy if you eat junk food all the time.
In the same way, you can't be spiritually
healthy unless you feed on the truth of Gods
Word.
Would you like to have all the blessings
that God has for you? Of course you would! I want
that for you too.
How do you get those blessings? Theyre
a direct result of spiritual maturity. The
Bible says, The message of his grace is
able to build you up and give you the blessings
God has for all his people (Acts 20:32 GNT).
The Word of grace will build you up. When
you grow in spiritual maturity, God can give you
all the blessings he has for you. There are some
gifts you can't give a baby or a young child
because they arent mature enough for them yet. In
the same way, there are some gifts God wants to
give you, but he's waiting for you to grow up.
You can actually use your hand to help
you remember how to use the Bible to grow in
spiritual maturity. You feed on the Word of God by
doing six things: You hear Gods Word - that's
your pinky finger. You read it - that's your ring
finger. You study it - that's your middle finger.
You memorize it - thats your pointer finger.
Then, you meditate on it - thats your thumb.
Your palm represents applying Gods Word.
Its important that you do all six of
those things as you feed on Gods Word. If the
only spiritual input you get is hearing the Word
of God at church, then you wont have a very
strong grip with just your pinky finger. We forget
95 percent of everything we hear within 72
hours! Satan will be able to steal your joy very
easily.
If you hear the Word of God and then you
read it every day, you've got a better grip.
Satan can't pull it away from you as quickly. If
you hear it and read it and study it, then
you've got a stronger grip.
When you do all six things, youll have
a firm, strong grip on Gods Word. No one
will be able to take it away from you. And
youll find yourself growing toward spiritual
maturity and receiving the blessings that come with
it. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
The creative energy that called the worlds
into existence is in the word of God. This word
imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a
promise; accepted by the will, received into the
soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite
One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the
soul in the image of God. ED126
Every day I have the honor of sitting down
with a book that contains the words of the One
who created me. Every day I have the opportunity
to let him give me a thought or two on how to
live. If I don't do what he says, he doesn't burn
the book or cancel my subscription. If I
disagree with what he says, lightning doesn't split
my swivel chair or an angel doesn't mark my
name off the holy list. If I don't understand
what he says, he doesn't call me a dummy. In
fact, he calls me "Son," and on a different page
explains what I don't understand. In the Eye of the
Storm by Max Lucado [Inspirational SB]
There are many hundreds of thousands of
books in the Library of Congress in Washington,
D.C. Books on countless subjects, by countless
people over hundreds of years. Some of those
writings have been the seed bed for philosophies,
political parties, religious movements and more. The
writers have come and gone; most are no longer
remembered. God's Word is remembered because it IS His
Word, and it WORKS. The sad thing is, many of us
don't pay any more attention to God's Word than to
any other book. In the Bible are the tools to
enable every believer to lead a victorious life.
But day after day, the Bible sits unopened. We
must take that Word, read it, think about it and
so devour it that it feeds us. Memorize it!
That Word transforms our thoughts and actions.
Christian, take it today and feed on it and put it in
your heart, that you might not sin against
Almighty God, and partake of the victorious life!
[In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you read
the Bible? If both those things are true for
you, then you have an inheritance coming.
The Bible says in Acts 20:32, I commit
you to God and to the word of his grace, which
can build you up and give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified (NIV).
An inheritance is something thats
rightfully yours, just for being part of a family. But,
to enjoy the benefits of that inheritance, you
have to claim it.
Imagine your parents were billionaires.
Youd be foolish if you never took the time to
read their will after they died. You wouldnt
get what was rightfully due to you. You
wouldnt benefit from what belongs to you as their
child.
When you become a follower of Jesus,
youre not just a believer - youre a belonger.
You become part of Gods family. And all the
family privileges come along with that - including
a spiritual inheritance.
But its still possible for you to walk
through your entire life and not know what benefits
are available to you as a child of God. To
choose to live that way is sad - and foolish.
God wants you to know whats available
to you from him. He wants you to receive your
spiritual inheritance. And, to do that, you need to
read the Bible.
The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work (NIV).
The Bible helps you live out Gods
purpose for your life. It thoroughly equips you for
what God has made you to do. Thats your
spiritual inheritance. Here are four things God does
through Scripture to pass on that spiritual
inheritance:
He teaches you - God shows you the
path on which you should walk.
He rebukes you - God shows you
when youre off the path.
He corrects you - God shows you
how you can get back on the path.
He trains you - God shows you how
you can stay on the path.
As God teaches, rebukes, corrects, and
trains you, you will become equipped for the life
God has planned for you. You will be able to
claim and enjoy your spiritual inheritance! [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ILLUSTRATION
Buoyed By God
Several years ago, a speedboat driver was
in a serious accident. In recounting what had
happened, she said that she had been flying along at
top speed when her boat veered just slightly,
hitting a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined
force of her speed and the size and angle of the
wave sent the boat spinning wildly into the air.
She was thrown from her seat and propelled deep
into the water. She was thrust so deeply into the
water that she could not see any light from the
surface. Dazed, she had no idea which direction was
"up."
Rather than panic, the woman remained
calm and waited for the buoyancy of her life vest
to begin pulling her up. Then she quickly swam
in that direction.
We often find ourselves surrounded by
many voices, each with a different opinion, and
we simply don't know which way is "up." When
this happens, we need to exercise patience and
spend time with the Lord. We must read His Word,
the Bible, and wait for His gentle tug on our
hearts to pull us toward His will. The more we
read, the more confident we will become,
especially when His written Word and that gentle tug in
our hearts come into agreement.
Remember, a few minutes, hours, days, or
even months of "waiting" may mean the difference
between sinking or swimming! [God's Little
Devotional Bible re Eze.13:2]
CLOSING THOUGHT
In October 1929, The Saturday Evening Post
published a landmark interview with the great
physicist and mathematician Albert Einstein. His
response to questions of Jesus as a historical figure
was simply breathtaking. He said, I am a Jew,
but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of
the Nazarene... No one can read the Gospels
without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His
personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled
with such life.
ONE LINER
Read it through, pray it in, live it out,
pass it on. George Gritter [Spirit Filled Life
Devotional SB]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Acts 20:32 - The Bible Made Flesh!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150701-1708.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
