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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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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. Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :God Releases Peter from Prison [1] Bible Verse:Acts 12:6-10 (ESV) "Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him." Message:
Peter is once again rescued from prison by God. There is no earthquake this time; an angel simply strikes off his chains, has him cover himself with his cloak, walks him past the guards, and opens a gate of the city for him.
“Angel” comes from a Greek word angelos, meaning “messenger.” And indeed, we see the word angelos used repeatedly in the Bible to designate a non-angelic messenger. Satan’s messengers are called angeloi, as are the messengers sent by generals, kings, etc. So is the word angel a fabrication of English?
No, the word angelos, standing by itself, sometimes means “angel”! The word is used repeatedly in the first two verses of Hebrews with a very specific meaning: a real being, a creature who actually exists, serving God and living on a higher plane than human beings. See Hebrews 2:7.
peter_escape_prison
Why does God send an angel to perform a miracle for Peter, when the Holy Spirit has already been sent to him? The Bible does not tell us. We might conjecture that God does not want Peter using the Holy Spirit for his own benefit. Peter is a vessel of the Spirit, not a superhero from Marvel Comics; he cannot free himself from prison.
In the New Testament, we see physical prisons used repeatedly as metaphors for our physical bodies, and release from prison representing the freedom from physical limitation and death, given to us by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Richard Lovelace, an early English poet, wrote two magnificent lines on the subject: “Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage.” So we might again infer that, while Peter channels the Holy Spirit so powerfully that he sometimes raises the dead, he cannot save his own life: It is the power of Christ, not the power of Peter, which overcomes death.
Can we overcome temptation to sin—free ourselves from the prison of our bodily desire—by our own power? Well, sometimes. But then, men sometimes break out of prison using their own devices. But what if we cannot overcome temptation to sin by our own power? Will the Holy Spirit do it for us? Yes. It is a promise God has made. 1 Cor. 10:13.
Meditation : Prayer : The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; Make me perfect in every good work to do your will, working in me that which is well pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever...........Amen |
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