March 31 ~ Acts 4:29-42
Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven. And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail."
33-37 When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot. But one of the council members stood up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God's Law who was honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time, then said, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it. A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were scattered to the four winds.
38-39 "So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it - and you better not be found fighting against God!"
40-42 That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus' name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Council overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored on account of the Name. Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I find verses 38-39 particularly interesting. Several years ago, there was a huge uproar because a display of The Ten Commandments was ordered to be removed from a courthouse in Alabama. The monument ultimately ended up being moved to another location. But people went absolutely wild over this story. I remember getting a manicure one day, and one of the hairdressers in the salon was going on and on about how we all needed to contact our pastors and “do something” about this. She asked, “Don’t you agree?” My answer was that sometimes as Christians, we hurt our witness more than we help it by going off half-cocked on our own and trying to fix things.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that I do not uphold The Ten Commandments. I am not voicing an opinion on removing “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance or “In God We Trust” from our coins. I am saying that we often focus a lot of energy on these things and make a big stink about them, when ultimately, God will take care of them just fine without us (or in spite of us). I honestly think Satan uses these things to derail our focus and get us off on a tangent, so that people see us as fanatics. Then we spend our time on these "crusades" instead of the true message of Jesus and the cross.
If we focused more of our energy on teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, as the apostles did, we would have a much greater impact on the Kingdom of God. These ploys to supposedly “remove God” from the public eye are merely human. These people can no more remove God than they can raise the dead or pull objects out of thin air! BUT… if we Christians focus our efforts on keeping God at the forefront through teaching and preaching, it won’t matter if the Ten Commandments are posted on a courthouse monument or we say “under God” when we pledge allegiance to our country. God will still be there – maybe even more profoundly through our actions and deeds. People will see that we are not easily distracted… that we remain focused on the One True God!
My point is this - choose your “battles” wisely. Ask God… is this something You are addressing through me, or is it merely human efforts that will fall apart on their own? Ask God to show you how and where to witness for Him, and make every second you live for Him count!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-------------------------------------------------------------
March 30 ~ Acts 3:19-23
"Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, 'Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.'
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I wanted to do something special for my grandmother on her 95th birthday. Knowing that she has plenty of clothing, jewelry, “knick-knacks,” and such, I wanted to give her something she would appreciate and enjoy. I decided to create a memory box for her, filled with notes, cards, and photos from family members and friends. I sent out close to 100 letters and e-mail messages asking for memories from people who had been special to her through the years… and those who hold her dear to their hearts. I got a huge response. I decorated an old wooden silverware box with paint, scrapbook materials, photos, and things that held meaning for her. I lined the inside with velvet lining and lace trim. I placed all of the cards and letters and photos inside. On her birthday, we had a little family party, and I presented her with the memory box. I explained what was inside and placed the box on the table in front of her, and she spent the rest of the afternoon – and many hours since – looking through the items inside and out and reminiscing.
Suppose I had presented this gift to her, and she had stood with her back to me. Suppose she had not turned around to receive the gift and the blessings. Suppose she had not acknowledged all of the efforts of so many to fill the box with the memories. And yet, this is exactly what countless people do to God every day. He stands ready to give us the GREATEST GIFT of all… forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. He stands ready to bless us and wipe away our tears and our sins, and to give us a new life of joy and peace. When you look at it like this, why on earth would we not turn around to receive this Gift?
The answer is complicated… it ranges from shame and guilt to ignorance to a “fear” that we will have to “change” and that somehow that will be bad or unpleasant. But we must realize that God is waiting to give us a wonderful Gift… the most wonderful Gift we will every receive – Eternal Life through Jesus Christ! Like my grandmother, we would never consider turning away when another human wishes to give us a gift. We MUST turn to God. We cannot miss this! He is waiting to bless each of us… all we have to do is turn around to face him!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 29 ~ Acts 2:37-39
37 Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?"
38-39 Peter said, "Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away - whomever, in fact, our Master God invites."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
It all sounds so easy, doesn’t it?! But we are constantly asking, “What do we do now?” So many times I find myself flailing around, wondering what to do, when clearly, the answer is right in front of me. “Turn to God…” That answer is huge – as in turning to Him and changing your life and receiving forgiveness for sins. It is often just as huge in the context of turning to God and asking Him to help you with the smallest of details in your life.
Just recently, I had a situation where I was looking for something. I knew I kept it when we moved into our new house last fall, and I felt sure I put it in a safe place in our storage attic. But after about nine trips there to look for it – and a much-needed overhaul and “straightening” of that space - I still had not located this item. Finally, in desperation, I muttered… “Lord, I really need your help. I feel like I’m going a little crazy here. Where is that sack?” One more trip to the storage attic, and I stared straight ahead at a neatly arranged shelf I had not bothered with in earlier searches. I didn’t think I could have put them “way over there,” but indeed, I had put them there “for safekeeping!”
I had to shake my head. You know, that seems like such a silly thing to ask God for help with – a sack of silk flowers, of all things! But I wasted many futile trips to that storage room before I “gave up” and called on God. And it hit me… we do this over and over and over again. We work hard to “go it alone,” and in desperation we finally give in and call on God. Wouldn’t it be easier to call on Him first? Wouldn’t it make far more sense? I am learning not to care if it seems silly to ask God for help with things I consider too small for His attention. After all, in the scheme of things, you and I are pretty small ourselves, and yet He numbers the hairs on our heads!
So the next time you feel like asking yourself or a friend “What do I do now?” stop and ask God first. He may lead you to someone who can give you good advice, or He may show you the answer in a most unexpected way, but He WILL answer! Receive ALL of the gifts of the Holy Spirit – even the smallest ones!
©2008 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment