A Message of Good News For All

Scripture : Acts 13: ⁴⁹ The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.

Observation It is amazing to me that when the good news is heard and people believe there is always some who will come afterward and cause a problem.

Application: Paul did his best along with his co-horts to bring the church together and to spread the gospel to everyone he came in contact with--still there were those whose power and comfort were threatened and instead of embracing God's grace and love and finding their place in that--they wanted to stay with the status quo.

What would it be like if blindness and deafness could be cured and all could see the goodness of God in the promises made? What would it be like if prosperity were found in giving our blessings away and bringing peace and comfort to those who need it?

Prayer: Lord, I pray that your people come together and look to you for answers, I pray that the Holy Spirit will be able to break into hearts that are confused by the world and bring your peace and assurance to them. I pray for a greater understanding of scripture so that I may be stonger in proclaiming Christ from this day forward. Thank you Lord for loving me, Stephen

Yieldedness: May You use me to bring unity where ever I can.

The Power to Follow

Scripture Job 1 ; Job 2 ; Acts 6 ; Acts 7: ⁵¹ "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

Observation: Sometimes I think I fit this image--resisting the Holy Spirit--I mean.

Application: When God calls me to go in certain direction or do a certain thing or ask a certain person to serve in a certain position and I resist, my heart becomes hard and hard to penitrate. This is not a good thing because then it becomes about me and not about what God wants.

I have to battle against my own sense of self-control which sometimes comes from my free-will that God has given me. I have to allow the Spirit to guide me even when I don't want her too.

If only my faith were as strong as Job's.

Prayer: Lord, as I come before you today I need your strength more than ever. I pray that you will lead me in your Will and give me the strength to say "yes" to you. LOve Stephen

Yieldedness: Not my will, but yours be done.

It is Not about Me!

Scripture Nehemiah 13 ; Malachi 1 ; Malachi 2 ; Acts 4: ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Observation: The great things that were happening in those days! The church was growing by leaps and bounds, the apostles could not be quite about what they were witnessing and being a part of. The Sanhedrin was doing all it could to control this movement, but couldn't.

Application: If only today we were not so comfortable with our faith, our comfortable place where we sit in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings; if only we were not in such a routine of offering only a small part of what we really have been blessed with when we give, what would the Church be today?

Sometimes we have to forced into taking care of the very place where we experience the presence of God, we have to reminded of who we are and whose we are and what our resposibility is to God.

Still, God loves us and sticks by us and continues to bless us when we don't deserve it. I suppose this morning that God is patiently waiting for our eyes to be upon him again and be struck with the wonder of his love.

When it is presented in those terms it should be hard to be quite about what God is doing in one's life.

Prayer; I pray for the Body of Chirst today--that it would stop trying to tear itself apart and seek ways to come together. I pray that the focus be upon the God's Will and that the H.S. is able to break-in and take the lead. Thanks for loving me anyway, Stephen

Yieldedness: It is not about me, It is not about me,...