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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:The Empty Prison Bible Verse:Acts 5:21-26 "(Previous verses: Acts 5:17-20.) And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. " Message:
Don't you just want to say “Ha! Take that!” to the high priest and the Sanhedrin? The time of miracles is still with the apostles, and it will continue (although perhaps diminishing) for several years. During that time, the theme of defeating prison, which relates to Christ defeating death, will reoccur several times.
Our prison is our mortal self. Just as physical stones can prevent a person from physically moving outside a wall, so our body—and our “physical” mind, which is part of our body—can keep us from moving towards God and hold us, forcibly, inside the world we can see and touch.
If you doubt that our minds are part of our bodies, think of this example: Imagine a person standing on a ledge 1000 feet in the air. There is no wind and the person is healthy and has such good balance that he can snow ski skillfully. Will this person feel giddy? Almost certainly. (I have walked out on the Skywalk of the Grand Canyon, a transparent walkway thousands of feet above the jagged rocks of the canyon floor, and I could barely bring myself to move!)
bridge to heaven
Our human mind is hard-wired to our physical body. If a young heterosexual man sees a beautiful woman in a bikini (or less!), he will be aroused against his will. If someone points a loaded shotgun in our face, our heart will beat faster. If someone insults us, we get angry, even if we can suppress it.
But our spirit can overcome our physical mind. Thousands of Christians have faced death without apparent fear, singing hymns and praising God. Their courage, in fact, was one of the primary historical reasons for the rapid growth of Christianity in the first few centuries after Christ died. It is one of the great lessons of the resurrection. God can and will overcome the greatest power of the world, the power of death.
We can thus overcome sin, at least in great part. The Bible promises this to us: 1 Corinthians 10:13. Just as a prison of stone walls cannot hold Peter’s body, the prison of our mortal selves cannot hold our souls in captivity. The laws of the physical world crumble before the power of Almighty God.
Notice that the guards are afraid to take the apostles by force; the apostles, however, show no fear at all. Immediately upon their release, they return to the activity for which they were being tried: teaching at the temple. Christian belief has spread quickly, to the point that the greatest human power on earth, the soldiers of the Roman Empire, become cautious.
Meditation : Prayer : Now all glory to you, mighty God, who is able to keep me from falling away and will bring me with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time,....Amen |
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