This Is the Way: A 30-Day Journey Through the Book of ActsSample

The Gift

By Elizabeth Settle

So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. —Acts 28:23

A popular holiday gift-giving game has everyone standing in a circle, each holding a present, while a story is read aloud. Any time the word “left” is spoken from the story, the gifts are passed to the left. When the word “right” is said, everyone shifts their gifts the other direction. At the end of the story, you get to take home the gift that lands in your hands.

Here we are in Acts 28 . . . at the end of the story. The final chapter is full of ups and downs: Paul’s shipwreck, the rescue on Malta, cold rain, discomfort, vipers, healings, favor, friendships, imprisonment, and hope. My brain plays tug of war calculating each event: left and right, “good” and “bad,” struggle and success.

My life adventures look a little different than Paul’s. More like house-wrecks, inner chaos, overwhelm, the sting of powerlessness, stress, comforts, pleasures, and terrible traffic. But still, I tend to calculate “good” and “bad” in my brain. Shifting assessments as the story unfolds: back and forth, good and bad, wins and losses.

Am I winning? It doesn’t always feel like it. What about Paul? What was his assessment?

The fascinating conclusion of Acts sums it up like this: “Paul dwelt . . . in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him” (Acts 28:30–31 NKJV). For Paul, it was always about the gift. It didn’t matter if things shifted left or right, toward the good or the bad, backward or forward. His confidence was in the gift.

• The gift of God’s kingdom and our citizenship in it (see Ephesians 2:19).
• The gift of Jesus Christ having made us whole through His broken body (see Colossians 2:9–10).
• The gift of knowing who we truly are in Christ and living from that righteous, perfect, sanctified identity (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• The gift of confidence that no good or bad will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:38–39).

The adventure for Paul was less the ups and downs of his life and more the unwrapping of what was in his hands all along. He was compelled by the gift of God in every season and circumstance, declaring to all who would listen: “Look at what’s in your hands! The kingdom! The kingdom of God is at hand!”

His longing echoed the Lord’s—that we would have “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” (see Matthew 13:16). What if winning isn’t about satisfying our physical comforts and having everything go our way? Maybe it’s about intuiting reality from our hearts (see Acts 28:27). This feels like no small task and requires us to seemingly overturn our everyday way of thinking. Who will heal us of these distorted assessments that toss us back and forth? Who helps us see what’s under the surface into what’s steady and real? “The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different” (Romans 7:25 MSG).

Paul was so smitten by this revelation of God it transcended the daily discomforts. The gift compelled him. How can we see the gift in our own hands? By closing our eyes. That’s the paradox! We close the eyes of our head and ask God to open the eyes of our heart.

• Lord, I’m seeking Your kingdom. Will you show me what it looks like? How do you see me as a citizen of Your kingdom?
• Holy Spirit, convince me of my being made whole through Christ’s broken body. Father, how do I look to You as You see me through the lens of Christ’s work?
• Jesus, Scripture tells me the truth about who You’ve made me to be. Will You pierce my heart with this truth and show me who I am in You?
• Father, I often feel so far from You. Especially when things aren’t going well. Will You remind me of the truth that nothing can separate me from Your Love?

We open the gift by recognizing it’s already in our hands and asking God to reveal Himself to us. God is self-revealing! We cannot figure Him out, but He is delighted to reveal Himself and pleased to give us the kingdom.

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NKJV).

If we choose to seek first His kingdom (see Matthew 6:33)—keeping our eyes on the gift—all the win-or-lose, left-or-right, good-or-bad noise is quieted by the unfolding story resonating in our hearts: Him in you and you in Him. This is the gospel of the kingdom.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for teaching me that Your kingdom is at hand. I close my eyes to see. Show me how You have made me one with You. Whether things on the surface feel good or bad, solid or insecure, I pray that I live and move from that deep place of loving union today. My eyes are fixed on the gift: You in me and me in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activation

• Quiet yourself. Close your eyes, and ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart. Engage with the questions outlined in the devotional. Ask from your heart and receive His responses and agree with what He says. Hearing condemnation? Anxiety? Fear? That’s not God’s voice.
• Take a few minutes to jot down recent events in your life, both positive and negative. Consider how you’ve been mentally categorizing them as “good” or “bad.” How might your perspective shift if you viewed these events through the lens of God’s kingdom?

For Further Study

Acts 28; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 6:33; Romans 8:38–39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:19; Colossians 2:9–10

Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?