Acts Day 45 - Daily?

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, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Daily. Every day. Not because they had to. Not because God demanded it of them. Not because Peter and the disciples demanded it or commanded it. This passage is full of joy. It radiates excitement and happiness. Not frivolous happiness that is here for a moment and gone again but deep down meaningful joy that no one and nothing could take from them. What was the source of this joy? Messiah had come. He had actually walked among them. It was true they had not recognized Him. It was true they had rejected Him and killed Him. It was true they never realized who He was until weeks later. This was in large part the source of their joy. Not just that He had come but that their treatment of Him did not diminish His love for them in the least.

They killed Him yet before they ever had the chance to be sorry or even knew what they had done He had already forgiven them. It was a love that was foreign to them. They were raised to perform or be punished. They were raised to earn love and favour.

This morning Nathaniel and I were reading in Genesis when Jacob was returning to meet his brother Esau after decades apart. Jacob was afraid to return. His guilt from the past was literally oppressing him. To try and appease his brother and buy his favour Jacob sent gifts of flocks and herds ahead of himself. When Esau finally got through all of them and saw Jacob he fell on his neck and wept for joy. Esau wasn't angry at all. Jacob's sins were long forgiven.

You see favour can't be purchased. Love is a gift, not a commodity. When those early Christians came to realize they had God's favour and that relating to Him was not a business transaction they were flooded with joy and peace. A joy they celebrated daily. Sadly we have lost much of that joy it seems. Perhaps we slipped back into a business model picture of God where favour is purchased. If that is the case for you I encourage you to visit the cross again. His love is full and free.