So Far So Good

"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Jude 1:24-25

It’s June already. Can you believe it? By the way, how’s your new year’s resolution going? Or are you like me, and messed up the resolution on January 2nd? All joking aside, six months have gone by and how have they been for you truly?

A Rock and a Hard Place

"After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him. "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple." Acts 9:23, 26

Saul (Paul) really did not have it very easy, as evidenced by these two verses separated by just two verses and a couple of days. He was hated and feared, but, not by the same group of people. The Jews hated him, but really didn't fear him; they more felt threatened by him since he had become a follower of The Way. The believers, specifically the disciples; didn't so much hate him as they feared him, because they didn't trust him, because they weren't convinced he was really a follower of The Way. What an awkward position to be in. He was being treated like a traitor and phony at the same time. He must have spent a lot of time in prayer from the overwhelming sense of being misunderstood. Actually, the Jews had it right in their minds according to their own misguided understanding. Here a persecutor of the believers becomes a defender of the believers. It took Paul awhile to convince the believers that he was for real.

A Church Blessing

"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit; it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord." Acts 9:31"

This obscure verse has been nestled in my Bible between the reports about Paul's earliest teaching and escape back to Tarsus, and the account of Aeneas and Dorcas, two totally different early believers that God touched the lives of through Peter. I have never slowed down and taken in the depth of this little blessing in verse 31 that is packed full of meaning. I don't think at all, that this verse means that when Paul is taken to Tarsus that peace, strength and encouragement comes to the church throughout the region. I do think that this is a verse that connects two separate accounts in the Bible by describing what happened at that time, because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Just Don’t!

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Acts 10:15

Voice from heaven talking to Peter again. There is a Word of God, mandate, end of discussion principle in these words that is so applicable to today. In general, when God gives explicit instructions, they are to be followed explicitly. Let me give you a little context to consider why Peter takes this so seriously. Basically the story goes like this. The vision Peter sees is of a giant sheet being lowered by the four corners and it is full of all types of animals. He is told in the vision to 'kill and eat'. He responds by saying that there are some animals in there that for him as a Jew, he can't eat.

Encouragers

"But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus." Acts 9:27

There are not enough encouragers in this world. Barnabas had a reputation of being encouraging to everyone. His words, his tone, his demeanor, his wisdom and kindness and eventually, his very name became synonymous with encouragement. The lack of encouragers becomes painfully more obvious in seasons of discouragement. We currently live in a time of great discouragement, fear, suspicion, disillusionment, negativity, and meanness. Some of that comes from the general moral decline of our culture; some of it comes from the lack of fulfillment due to the religion of materialism. People are often depressed, blue, under the weather, sad, and forlorn. Mostly because of a lack of meaning and purpose. Nothing seems to meet the false sense of need, and the ache of futility in our hearts.

Worrying - What a Big Waste of Time

It's that time again for my contribution for the Friday devotional and I love to share messages that resonate with me. As is generally the case, I am not a loss for what to share because I am constantly inspired by my nightly readings from any one of my devotional books, most of which have been given to me as presents. Tuesday night's subject from Sarah Young's "Dear Jesus" just happened to be on "worrying", and since that "used to be" a real issue for me at a time in my life when some would say I had "control" issues, I felt that maybe someone else out there reading this might have or had been affected by the "worry bug" . Well, I am here to tell you that one of the wonderful things about growing "older" (the term I prefer to use instead of "old") for me is that I simply don't worry about almost anything anymore, and I really can't explain it other than to say that this seems to be more about me having "let go of things" and trusting that they are going to work out according to God's plan, not mine anyway.

Prayers That Work

"The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." Acts 10:4

I only share this one verse to make you curious about who is talking to who here and what about.The angel is talking to Cornelius, a centurion from Caesarea. If you want to read the biblical account you can find it in Acts 10:1-8. Cornelius had been praying for answers to his questions. The passage says people as he travels about serving the Lord. Cornelius was hungry for the truth. He desired more than anything to know the deeper meaning of the Way and was earnest, sincere and diligent. God hears Cornelius praying (He hears all of us praying) and answered him through an angel.

Humbly His

"For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.]" 2 Peter 1:16-18

There is a line of thinking – simple logic – that asks why would so many strong men, men’s men, probably mostly brawlers, would willingly give up everything – even their lives – for a stranger named Jesus. Peter himself even spurned his executioners as they prepared to crucify him, saying that he should be crucified upside down since he was not worthy of the same death as Christ.

Up on the Roof

"About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray." Acts 10:9

This is another devotional thought about a passage of Scripture that illustrates an important principle in the daily walk of faith. The Bible does not make it clear where Peter was exactly, but wherever he was he had access to somebody's roof and decided to use it to get away to pray. I cannot express how important this is for our spiritual growth. Back in the 60's there was a song, written by Carole King and sung by The Drifters, called “Up on the Roof”, hence the title of this writing. The words go something like this.....

I am Just a Man

"As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up." he said, "I am only a man myself." Acts 10:25-26

How can you not love Peter? Not only is he passionate and disciplined, he is also sincere and humble. Here he is in the house of a Gentile, just recently having the epiphany of the concept of human equality in a vision from God, and he has the depth of character to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. Just think what else he could have said. "Yes my son, you can kiss my ring? No, not even close to anything like that. I guess he could have put his hands on the shoulders of Cornelius and given him a wordy blessing. Instead, he very graciously and humbly has Cornelius stand up, and eye to eye says to him, "I am only a man myself." Wow! This changes everything. You see, Peter has learned humility. Peter wanted most of all to know and do what God's desire was for him. He sure is a different man than the angry zealot who cut off the ear of Malchus. He is definitely a transformed man from the denier who heard the rooster crow. He is even a more mature man than the fisherman who jumped out of the boat and into the water and swam ahead of the others to get to Jesus on the shore. He is not only the "everyman", as he has been called; he is the man that every man can learn from. Why? Because Peter is a man who understands that he is only a man. Like Cornelius, like you, like me. We cannot be reminded too many times of our humanity. For from that understanding blooms true spirituality. God bless you for reading and considering this today.

Evil Company Corrupts

"Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame." 1Corinthians15:33-34

As a young man growing up I was blessed to have lived in two worlds. My house was in the North Tustin area where basically everyone except me grew up with the proverbial ‘silver spoon’ in their mouth. I had to work hard for all that I had but my friends were given new cars, new motorcycles-basically whatever they wanted was given to them. The second world and the world I claim to be from was the inner city of Santa Ana. My father’ garage and gas station was at 1st and Daisy in Santa Ana. I started helping my father at age 4 picking up trash and emptying parts on the shelf and when I was 17 years old my senior year in high school I would open and run the garage when my dad was sick or went on vacations. During this period of time my mom always told me that I would be known by the friends I kept. My actions along with my friends would speak volumes compared to what I verbally said.

The Dorcas Circle

"In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas) who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord." Acts 9:36-42

A Giving Communicator

I am constantly amazed at God’s timing. Consider last week, when I needed to write a devotional, had no clue what to write, and asked God to send a message. All I was thinking was that I wanted to acknowledge our gifted Pastor. It played into my day, as I completed the first 3 tasks of every day (after breakfast of course).

Get Up

"Aeneas", Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up." Acts 9:34

The Scripture is so rich with illustration. Especially in these passages from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, where the message is not always so direct. Let me begin by saying that what you need and is God's will for you has most likely already been provided. Our faith is not magic, you know. It is believing in a mighty God who sees us, hears us and responds to us. Aeneas was a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. I can't second guess why Peter was used of God to heal him other than that it was God's desire and plan to do so. But, I believe that much if not most of what God wants and has for us is only waiting on us to act and not for something else to happen. If Peter says 'get up' and Aeneas does not get up, I don't think he would be healed. How would it do him any good if he was healed and just continued to lay there? Aeneas got up alright, he did it immediately. I sometimes wonder how many things God has done for us and we just haven't acted on them yet. Interesting thought huh? What all does God have for you in terms of healing, transformation, blessing and purpose and the only reason nothing has happened is because in your own mind you are stuck. Aeneas would never have known that he was healed unless he got up and took care of his mat. How many things in my life are really now in my hands or feet or legs or voice and all I have to do is take action? If you are not getting what you are praying for, or hoping for, maybe it is time to ask God what you should do next? Wait a minute, isn't God just supposed to take care of everything? So if I say to God, God help me find a job and I don't look for one, how does that work? Or, if I want to find a right relationship and don't become more of the wonderful person that special person is looking for, what should I expect? How about if I want a better communication relationship with someone and I refuse to talk to them? So, I pray God help me and should also pray, show me what to do. AND...... then do it. I cannot tell you how many people come for counsel and then don't take it. I am actually shocked how many people plan to get counsel and then don't show up for the meeting to get it. What do we expect? We are so disappointed in our circumstances, yet don't do what we should to change them. I think blaming God for no answer is easier than taking action. So let me leave you with three little pieces of counsel. Up to you what you do with them. I am not responsible for what you decide not to do.

A Cord of Three Strands is not Quickly Broken

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

Today's passage of Scripture was written by King Solomon, who is said to have been one of the wisest men of his time. In Ecclesiastes Chapter 4, King Solomon talks of watching men working and toiling under the sun, and as this man is working, King Solomon notices that this man is all alone. He has no brothers or sons or family. This is why Solomon begins to ponder and explain the importance of not being alone, and allowing ourselves to develop friendships where friends are closer than a brother or a sister.

He First Loved Us

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Today's passage comes from the daily devotional series from one of my favorites, Charles Spurgeon. I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me. Have a wonderful weekend!
Hank

I Will Show Him

"But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My Name." Acts 9:15-16

When Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus, he saw a vision of Ananias touching his eyes and his sight restored. Ananias’ first reaction was to resist because of the trouble Saul was bringing on the early church. God knew exactly what He was doing. Saul was going to be used as an instrument of God to reach the Gentiles and their kings. That is exactly what he did eventually. God assured Ananias that Saul would be shown how much he must suffer for the Lord’s name. This must have been a tough thing to hear. Sure, we all like to see bad guys get it, and victimizers, victimized. I sometimes wince at how we can be so vindictive, without much consideration for God’s justice or plan. We call for judgment and jump on the bandwagon for ultimate punishment, and the toughest consequences. We say, “Hang em high”, and “stone them”, especially if their crimes are heinous or violent, cruel or have been committed against the defenseless. I have done it, too. Recently, we have heard the gruesome details of those who have wreaked unthinkable havoc, pain and senseless injury, and even death on bystanders, children and the innocent. It is baffling that God chooses yet another troublemaker to be His chosen Instrument. Why this vengeful Pharisee? Why not a guy with a stellar reputation? God has His reasons and Saul (Paul) did indeed suffer. Saul was hated, blamed, not trusted, and made the example by all of how being a true Christian costs everything. He paid dearly and counted it as joy, because Paul knew his sin and understood the payment of Christ’s life and blood for it. He was despised by all and gave it everything anyway. Both Jews and Christians loathed him. He suffered greatly. I guess God did indeed show him and I am so glad he had his eyes opened.