Daily Devotionals
January 4, 2021
The Fence Around Our Yard
January 4, 2021
DAILY READING
FIELD NOTES
We see in this passage from Acts that the Holy Spirit has been poured out even on the Gentiles. This came as such a shock to those who had followed Christ, being that they and He were Jewish. God had allowed those outside of the family to be reconciled.
Often times when we think of our dream house, we picture a nice house and a white picket fence. Fences play two important roles: keeping things out, and keeping things in. We put fences up to keep the undesirable out of our area, and we put fences up to keep that which we desire from escaping.
Our fences also serve to divide us. They tell us that those on the other side are different, and even dangerous. They tell us that what we hold dear is more important than what others hold dear.
God gives the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, and Peter immediately sees that this fence they once clung to is no more. Who are they to stop the Gentiles from entering into full fellowship with God? Who are we to do the same with those on the other side of our fences?
QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD
- What am I trying to protect with my fences?
- Who is on the other side of my fence that I need to embrace today?
FAMILY FIELD TALK
- Name three people we know who are different and why they deserve God’s love.
PRAYER GUIDE
Lord, we pray that you would show us where we have built up unnecessary divisions amongst ourselves, and that your love would enable us to tear them down without fear. In your name Jesus, amen.