26 Sunday Apr 2015
Posted in Reflection
Peace comes from one source and that is from God. This is a great reminder for all of us. When we face situations that make us anxious, remember God can bring us peace and tranquility if we simply ask and have faith. Also, He does it in a way we don’t necessarily understand, but that is what makes it even more special and fulfilling.
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24 Friday Apr 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
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In our reading today, James 2:14 can be a bit confusing, What good is it, my brother, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? When I first read this, it seemed to imply that works were necessary for salvation. But just the opposite is true. The verse simply states that faith should transform us. If our lives remain the same, we don’t truly believe the truth about who Jesus is and what He came for. As true believers we should be transforming into being more like Christ. If that isn’t happening, then our relationship is not true, or at a minimum, not growing. Faith is revealed by how we act based on our beliefs.
23 Thursday Apr 2015
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Today we begin reading in the book of James. As you will recall, we are reading the New Testament in chronological order of events. The book of James was the first book written after the gospels and lines up with events as they happened in the book of Acts. The author is obviously James who was the half brother of Jesus. There are some people who have a hard time with the book of James because, while he talks about grace that comes through salvation from Christ’s sacrifice, there is a lot of talk about actions. This tends to confuse people into thinking it is all about works. James simply brings into view the outcomes that should come from those who have been miraculously saved and are in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of James we find my favorite verse, James 1:12, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. As we have seen in our past reading, God does not promise an easy and perfect life. But He has promised our reward of eternal life when we have stood against all this life has to throw at us.
22 Wednesday Apr 2015
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In today’s reading I found it entertaining the people of Lystra thought Paul and Barnabas were Zeus and Hermes. The Greeks of that area recognized the supernatural abilities of the Apostles. But it was not the abilities of the Apostles, but of God working through them. If we stop trying to do great things for God and allow God to do great things through us, we would see much greater results. The total submission and willingness to be used by God to bring others into knowledge and relationship with Christ is the example we should learn here.
20 Monday Apr 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
The early church experienced more in it’s early existence than we could ever expect in our lifetimes. Many people believe this is because God does not work the same as He once did. I believe the reality is that we do not work the same way believers did in the early church. By the end of the New Testament, the apostles would each suffer and either die a brutal death or live the remainder of their days in exile. They were willing to lay their faith on the line and sacrifice all they had to spread the good news of Christ. The disciples sacrificed greatly, and in turn, God acted greatly through each of their lives. Can you imagine Peter as he was being rescued from prison by an angel? What would it be like to see locked gates open (before electronics) and hardened guards unaware of what was happening before them? In Acts 12:11 we see Peter’s reaction, Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.” God is able to do mighty things and when we put ourselves in a position where God is the only way, He does not let us down.
15 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
One of the things I love about the book of Acts is the fearless and bold work of the believers. No task is too small or too big for any of them because they know they have the power of God with them. One of the other things I love about this book is we see the beginnings of the spread of the good news. In Acts 8:35 it shows this as Philip shares with the Ethiopian, Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Because of moments like these with foreigners like the Ethiopian, the good news started to spread to other parts of the world. It was because of boldness and trust in the will of God that the word spread. Let us be reminded daily of our responsibility as believers to be bold enough to share our faith in the good news of Jesus.
14 Tuesday Apr 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
In today’s reading we learn about the martyrdom of Stephen. For the majority of the chapter Stephen spends time reminding the religious leaders of their history. He did not do this because he felt they lacked knowledge, but because he was setting up his main point; that throughout the Israelite’s history, they continuously rejected God regardless of the truth being giving to them on a continuous basis. Their rejection included most of their prophets, many of which prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. In Act 7:52 Stephen says to the religious leaders, Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. When we blind ourselves to the truth we invite suffering and misdirection in our lives. Sometimes the truth is hard to accept, especially when it is not what we expected. But in the end our expectations matter very little. We must be open to God’s teaching in our lives and be willing to accept truth that sometimes is contrary to what we feel.
09 Thursday Apr 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Jesus does not ask us to do what we are incapable of doing. However, He does asks us to give what we have, even when all we have is His power through us. In today’s reading Peter and John come across a man who had been crippled from birth and wanted nothing more than to be healed. Peter’s response in Acts 3:6, Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Peter literally had nothing to give this man other than the healing power God. When we face tough situations we can approach it in one of two ways: 1) we can say we do not have the necessary skills or resources, or 2) we can realize the creator of the universe has the ability to do anything, including working on our behalf and even through us.
28 Saturday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
As we approach Easter, our reading is leading us to Christ’s crucifixion in Luke 23. What stood out to me in our reading today was Jesus’ interaction with the criminals being crucified with Him. While one of the criminals insulted Jesus for not saving them from the cross, the other recognized who Jesus was and His innocence. In Luke 23:41 he says, “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Jesus provided eternal salvation to these men by His sacrifice on the cross just as He provides it to us when we accept this gift from Him. When Jesus told these men they would be in paradise on that very day, He was giving us a glimpse of the salvation He would provide for us. One day we will be in paradise and it is because Jesus loved us enough to suffer and die to cover our sins.
27 Friday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Sometimes silence is the best course of action even when we know the truth. In Mark 15:5 Jesus was the perfect example of this, But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. While Jesus knew the truth, He chose to remain silent, mostly because He did not need man’s approval or permission to carry out the will of the Father. We need to remember that God does not need my opinion, just my obedience.
Daily Devotion 