“Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” Acts 11:20.
Out of Stephen’s stoning arose a persecution, which caused many followers of Jesus to be scattered throughout Judea, Samaria, and beyond. God used this persecution to spread the story of Jesus, as these new followers travelled about. One particular group of men from the island of Cyprus and the North African city of Cyrene travelled to Antioch, in modern-day Syria, and began speaking about Jesus to the inhabitants. And the Lord’s hand was with them.
Here is another situation where God used the negative experiences for a positive result. It seems that these men from Cyprus and Cyrene could no longer stay in Jerusalem because of the threats against all of the followers of Jesus, so they took the story on the road. They could have complained about their situation, but instead, they went on their own missionary trip, excitedly sharing the good news about Jesus.
Often when negative experiences occur in my life, my initial reaction is to feel sorry for myself and have a pity party. More recently, I have been attempting to see these situations as opportunities instead of obstacles. Instead of being glum, I am trying to choose to be more excited about life and to share the good news of Jesus, no matter what the circumstances are.
Questions to consider: How do negative circumstances affect you? Have there been times when you were able to share the love of Jesus in the midst of rough circumstances? Do you remember any missed opportunities?
Prayer: Father, thank You for making good things happen in the midst of some of my bad experiences. Help me to see that interruptions in my life are opportunities instead of obstacles. Amen.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
January 21, 2010 - Acts 11:18
“When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.’” Acts 11:18.
Peter responded to the objections of his brothers back in Jerusalem concerning his involvement with the Gentile household of Cornelius. Peter’s closing question ended any further concerns, and, finally, the whole assembly gave praise to God. They recognized that God had done the work and that Peter had just followed along, giving an eyewitness account to what had happened. The assembly realized that “repentance unto life” in Jesus was no longer restricted to the Jews, but was now opened up to the Gentile world.
One thing that I have noticed among many people is that we tend to bring our own list of restrictions to whatever we are involved with. I am surprised at who gets involved with an activity because it is often the people that I was not expecting to, who get involved, and the ones that I thought would be involved, do not. It doesn’t happen all the time but often enough for me to notice. Fortunately, I usually do not restrict anyone’s involvement. Yet in my mind, I have already restricted them, by purposely not extending an invitation. Fortunately, in many instances, God has touched their hearts. And when God is moving, who am I to hold my petty restrictions against them?
Questions to consider: Have you restricted anyone from being involved with something you were involved with? What were the circumstances around that, and how did that work for you? Have you ever been restricted from participating in something? How did that make you feel?
Prayer: Father, Thank You that You have not restricted me, or anyone, from coming close to You or from getting involved with anything You are doing. Thank You that You are a God who accepts and does not reject. Amen.
Peter responded to the objections of his brothers back in Jerusalem concerning his involvement with the Gentile household of Cornelius. Peter’s closing question ended any further concerns, and, finally, the whole assembly gave praise to God. They recognized that God had done the work and that Peter had just followed along, giving an eyewitness account to what had happened. The assembly realized that “repentance unto life” in Jesus was no longer restricted to the Jews, but was now opened up to the Gentile world.
One thing that I have noticed among many people is that we tend to bring our own list of restrictions to whatever we are involved with. I am surprised at who gets involved with an activity because it is often the people that I was not expecting to, who get involved, and the ones that I thought would be involved, do not. It doesn’t happen all the time but often enough for me to notice. Fortunately, I usually do not restrict anyone’s involvement. Yet in my mind, I have already restricted them, by purposely not extending an invitation. Fortunately, in many instances, God has touched their hearts. And when God is moving, who am I to hold my petty restrictions against them?
Questions to consider: Have you restricted anyone from being involved with something you were involved with? What were the circumstances around that, and how did that work for you? Have you ever been restricted from participating in something? How did that make you feel?
Prayer: Father, Thank You that You have not restricted me, or anyone, from coming close to You or from getting involved with anything You are doing. Thank You that You are a God who accepts and does not reject. Amen.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
January 14, 2010 - Acts 11:17
“’So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?’” Acts 11:17.
Peter reaches the end of his explanation for his actions at Cornelius’ house, finishing with this potent question. God had poured out the Holy Spirit on this Gentile household in a similar manner as He had done with Peter and the other Jewish followers. To their credit, they recognized that it was God’s activity and decided, as a result, that they could not oppose it. Interestingly enough, it was another group of leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, who rejected God’s activity in Jesus Christ. God was doing something new, and these early followers of Jesus recognized Him and followed after Him.
Sometimes, we can oppose God by not recognizing something new that He is doing around us or in us. (The truth of the matter is that, most likely, it is not necessarily new; it is just new to us.) There have been times that I get so used to doing things in a certain way, even if it takes me much longer or at greater inconvenience. I am a creature of habit. When a new, more efficient way is presented to me, my initial reaction is to resist or oppose it. This carries over into the spiritual realm. Something new is revealed, and yet, I stay stuck in my old patterns and beliefs. Or someone becomes a follower of Jesus that is “surprising.” Yet, who am I “to think that I could oppose God.” God has His agenda, and I need to try to recognize it and follow.
Questions to consider: How do you resist or oppose God? Are you open to the possibility that you could be resisting Him? Is there anyone who God has accepted that you struggle to accept?
Prayer: Father, it is not my heart to resist or oppose You. Yet, I know that there are times that I do. Please help me to recognize these moments, as these early followers in Acts did, and say, as they said, “Who am I to think that I could oppose You?” Amen.
Peter reaches the end of his explanation for his actions at Cornelius’ house, finishing with this potent question. God had poured out the Holy Spirit on this Gentile household in a similar manner as He had done with Peter and the other Jewish followers. To their credit, they recognized that it was God’s activity and decided, as a result, that they could not oppose it. Interestingly enough, it was another group of leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, who rejected God’s activity in Jesus Christ. God was doing something new, and these early followers of Jesus recognized Him and followed after Him.
Sometimes, we can oppose God by not recognizing something new that He is doing around us or in us. (The truth of the matter is that, most likely, it is not necessarily new; it is just new to us.) There have been times that I get so used to doing things in a certain way, even if it takes me much longer or at greater inconvenience. I am a creature of habit. When a new, more efficient way is presented to me, my initial reaction is to resist or oppose it. This carries over into the spiritual realm. Something new is revealed, and yet, I stay stuck in my old patterns and beliefs. Or someone becomes a follower of Jesus that is “surprising.” Yet, who am I “to think that I could oppose God.” God has His agenda, and I need to try to recognize it and follow.
Questions to consider: How do you resist or oppose God? Are you open to the possibility that you could be resisting Him? Is there anyone who God has accepted that you struggle to accept?
Prayer: Father, it is not my heart to resist or oppose You. Yet, I know that there are times that I do. Please help me to recognize these moments, as these early followers in Acts did, and say, as they said, “Who am I to think that I could oppose You?” Amen.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
January 7, 2010 - Acts 11:5
“’I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.’” Acts 11:5.
Peter had returned to Jerusalem after being directly involved with a Gentile household that subsequently became followers of Jesus. Peter’s fellow believers in Jerusalem had not previously had any experience with Gentiles becoming followers of Jesus, and they were not certain that this was permissible, and so confronted Peter. Peter began his explanation by recounting how God had spoken to him in a vision. It is almost as if Peter was saying, “I was in prayer minding my own business when God put me into a trance and gave me this vision. I couldn’t help it.” He was put into a position where he had to justify his actions, and he did so by patiently retelling each detail of his amazing story and by explaining it truthfully.
There are times when, in an attempt to justify my actions, I am tempted to build a story that ends up making me look good. In other words, I am tempted to lie. When I read of Peter’s response to his brothers, I sense that Peter is not withholding any of the facts from the story, nor is he embellishing it. He is telling the story as completely as he experienced it. I am challenged to do the same in my life – to tell a story, particularly of God’s movement and activity, without embellishment or exaggeration. The challenge is to state the facts as they are and to let them stand on their own merit.
Questions to consider: Have you ever been tempted to change a story of God’s activity in your life in order to make you appear better than was really the case? How does it make you feel when you know that someone is embellishing a story for whatever reason?
Prayer: Father, help me to say “Yes” to speaking the truth, no matter how bad it may make me appear. Help me to always speak the truth, seasoned with Your love. Amen.
Peter had returned to Jerusalem after being directly involved with a Gentile household that subsequently became followers of Jesus. Peter’s fellow believers in Jerusalem had not previously had any experience with Gentiles becoming followers of Jesus, and they were not certain that this was permissible, and so confronted Peter. Peter began his explanation by recounting how God had spoken to him in a vision. It is almost as if Peter was saying, “I was in prayer minding my own business when God put me into a trance and gave me this vision. I couldn’t help it.” He was put into a position where he had to justify his actions, and he did so by patiently retelling each detail of his amazing story and by explaining it truthfully.
There are times when, in an attempt to justify my actions, I am tempted to build a story that ends up making me look good. In other words, I am tempted to lie. When I read of Peter’s response to his brothers, I sense that Peter is not withholding any of the facts from the story, nor is he embellishing it. He is telling the story as completely as he experienced it. I am challenged to do the same in my life – to tell a story, particularly of God’s movement and activity, without embellishment or exaggeration. The challenge is to state the facts as they are and to let them stand on their own merit.
Questions to consider: Have you ever been tempted to change a story of God’s activity in your life in order to make you appear better than was really the case? How does it make you feel when you know that someone is embellishing a story for whatever reason?
Prayer: Father, help me to say “Yes” to speaking the truth, no matter how bad it may make me appear. Help me to always speak the truth, seasoned with Your love. Amen.
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