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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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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. Monday, March 4, 2019
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:The Honor of Punishment Bible Verse:Acts 5:33-42 "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.” “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!” 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. " Message:
The high priests are not accustomed to defiance. Like most men, power has corrupted them and made them proud. The insolence of the apostles makes them angry and their anger, in addition to the merits of the case, impels them to kill the apostles immediately.
Head of Christ|Crown of Thorns by Cranach
But a cooler head prevails. Gamaliel, showing the reason for his fame, makes an excellent point. If Christianity represents nothing but a deviant sect, history predicts that it will simply die out. But if the apostles are preaching God’s will, the high priests — whose duty is, after all, not to protect their own power, but to guard the word of God — should not be suppressing them. Like many Pharisees (and perhaps even Pilate), he is willing to entertain their theology and the possibility that Jesus was a prophet.
So, for a second time, the apostles get off with a warning (although this one includes a whipping—and beatings in those days were severe). But even with the physical punishment, we see the apostles’ courage and faith grow yet another step. Now, not only are they unafraid of death, but also, they are disappointed that they were not punished more severely! They remember Christ’s words, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13),” and see the trial as a missed opportunity for to find ultimate glory in dying for Christ.
The Christ sect is gathering steam. It has grown from 120 to 5,000 adherents in Jerusalem, and people are starting to come to Jerusalem from the countryside just to be a part of it.
Meditation : Prayer : Lord, in utter humility I thank you and glorify you, that you might hear the prayer of one so small as myself, amidst the billions of souls among billions of stars in one of billions of galaxies in your universe. Let me go forth in your peace, keeping your Spirit always in my mind; and bless me, I pray, that I might always follow your will and live in the radiance of your blessing....Amen |
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