Lead Me Into Righteousness

LEAD ME INTO RIGHTEOUSNESS

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

“Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.

And they replied, “The baptism of John.”

Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”

As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. . . .

Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord.

God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” . . . But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

Paul’s next stop on his third missionary journey was Ephesus, a commercial hub on the Mediterranean Sea where the worship of Artemis formed a critical part of the culture. Paul stayed longer in Ephesus than anywhere else on his previous journeys and again encountered both acceptance and great resistance from Jews and Gentiles alike. This passage ends with a profound public display in which a group of magicians turned to the true living God and away from the sorcery they had practiced, confessing their sin and burning the tools of their trade. They took a dramatic step out of their old lives to embrace their new lives in Christ. Do we have the courage to do the same?

• Read this passage again. What word or phrase stands out to you? Sit quietly, reminding yourself that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to show you how that word or phrase connects to your life.
• What part of your “old life” do you need to metaphorically burn or totally walk away from in order to embrace your new life in Christ? What is one step you need to take? Ask God for the grace and strength you need to do that.
• In 1 John 1:9, John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (NIV). Is there anything you need to confess to God? In what area of your life do you want him to lead you into righteousness?

Father, thank you for receiving me with open arms when I turn to you. Thank you for enabling and empowering me to turn away from my sin and the things in my life that distract me from all you’re calling me to do and be. Please guide me, by your Holy Spirit, into all righteousness found in Christ. May my thoughts, words, and actions increasingly reflect my new life in you. Mold me into Christ’s image so that I can align with what you’re doing to redeem and restore the world. Amen.