The disciples showed great weakness in the days before the crucifixion of Jesus. One example is when He took Peter, James and John with Him to Gethsemane and as He left them and went further along to spend time with His Father in prayer, He told them to pray. When He returned they were sleeping (Luke 22:39-46).
Although Peter pledged his life in loyalty to Jesus (Matthew 26:31-35), he turned his back when the going got tough. It appears, from Scripture, that John was the only disciple present at the actual crucifixion (John 19:26-27). He was the one referred to in the book of John as "the disciple whom He loved).
In the book of Acts, the disciples who were once in hiding scared for their very lives are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:4). The power of the Holy Spirit gave ordinary men (Acts 4:13) the courage to preach the gospel at the risk of losing their lives (Acts 4:20) and they "turned the world upside down" for Christ (Acts 17:6b).
So how do we become filled daily with the Holy Spirit? Spending time daily reading His Word and in prayer. John 15:1-11 describes the joy of "remaining in Him" and of "bearing much fruit". We must appropriate Bible truth and apply it to our daily lives.
When you first start spending time in prayer and in God's Word, you wonder "where will I ever find the time?" After you have done this for a period of time, you will find such peace and joy and guidance for your life that you will crave that time alone with Him and you will say to yourself "where did the time go?"
Come back next week for tips on how to have a Quiet Time.
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May 20 - 27
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