May 30 | Acts 4:32-35

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DAILY READING

Acts 4:32-35

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REFLECTION

TITLE

Mega Millions

By Mary Alice McGinnis

What would you do if you won the Mega Millions lottery? Many people say they would pay off debt, give more generously, or support the church. Yet money does not change the heart. More often, sudden wealth simply magnifies existing tendencies rather than transforming them.

In today’s reading, we see what truly does change the heart: the resurrection power of Jesus and the grace of God at work among His people.

Acts begins with this remarkable description: “All the believers were one in heart and mind.” That kind of unity is not natural to us. Human beings are quick to divide, protect their own interests, and seek significance for themselves. Reflect on the Tower of Babel found in Genesis 11:4, where the people’s desire was to “make a name for” themselves. We have a bent toward making a name for ourselves rather than living in shared dependence on God.

So what changed these early believers? What moved them to hold their possessions loosely and share freely with one another?

The apostles were testifying with “great power.” The word translated “great” in the original language is “mega.” It carries the sense of something immense or extraordinary. Luke’s point is not merely that the apostles were energetic, but that the risen Jesus was powerfully at work through them.

These believers had been transformed by the message of Jesus’ resurrection. Because Christ died and rose again, they knew their sin had been fully dealt with through His sacrifice. The resurrection was the assurance that sin and death had been conquered and that they now belonged to a new kind of life together in Him.

That is why their shared life looked different. The resurrection did not simply give them hope for the future; it reshaped how they viewed their possessions, their priorities, and one another in the present.

Luke then points to another source of this transformation: “God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.” Great power and great grace belong together. The same Lord who rose from the dead was now forming a people marked by generosity, unity, and caring for those in need.

When we grasp that the God who made all things has poured His undeserved grace on us, we cannot remain unchanged. Grace loosens our grip on ourselves and teaches us to live for something larger than personal comfort or recognition.

We begin to see our resources differently. What God has entrusted to us is not merely for private indulgence, but for His purposes and the good of His people. His grace draws us into a shared life shaped by generosity and mission.

May we lean into the transforming power of Christ’s resurrection and God’s grace. This week, may we ask the Lord to show us one need we can meet, one possession we can hold more loosely, and one person we can tell about the saving grace of Jesus Christ, through our words and our actions.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank You for the power of Your resurrection and for the grace You have poured out on us. Forgive us for clinging too tightly to what we have and for seeking our own name instead of Your glory. Shape our hearts to reflect Your generosity, unity, and love. This week, show us one need we can meet, one thing we can release, and one person we can serve in Your name. One person we can draw closer to You. Amen.

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ABOUT OUR GUEST AUTHOR

Mary Alice McGinnis

Today writing is a guest column by an old friend of the Daily Devotionals and UALC. Mary, like Judy Webb and Dave Mann, wrote a devotional a week for us. About two years ago, she felt God calling her to other ministries. We hope you enjoyed this reunion with one of God's "Good and faithful servants."