EXPAND TO READ: ACTS 14 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 5-7): I have been known at times to keep in a conversation/argument far longer than I am supposed to or should have. For some reason I find myself trapped in a never-ending cycle of “needing” to complete the message to the other party until they’re in agreement with me or concede the “victory” to me as if it’s a competition. Please forgive me for this, Father. Help me to follow the example of Your Apostles in these verses by knowing my limits as well as knowing when it is time to move on. Help me to be better at no longer living in my fleshly faults and continue to grow more accustomed to living in my Spiritual identity.
PROMISE (verse 27b): Once again, You are repeating to me that nobody is exempt from the power of Your eternal salvation nor faith in You. This promise to us has been fulfilled time-and-time again through the amazing testimonies of so many people from different backgrounds professing their faith in You, Father. Thank You for this promise and for opening up faith in You and eternal salvation to everyone through Jesus instead of just those select few through the old Law of Moses. I am so grateful for all You have done through me and in me from the fulfillment of this promise, I just wish I had become serious about my relationship with You far sooner than I did. I guess the old saying of "better late than never” truly applies to me.
ATTITUDE (verse 22): Yesterday I received a statement image from Dr. Joe Martin of the Real Men 300 that said: “There will ALWAYS be part of your life that will be in the wilderness. The key is to ALWAYS look for Christ in the middle of it.” Then my very next quiet time with You includes this verse about it being necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God. How amazing is Your timing, Father! Help me to embrace an attitude of humility and obedience when it comes to the trials of this life, Father. Remind me that I am not promised an easy life, but I am promised eternal salvation. Remind me that I must walk through some valleys and treacherous paths to reach some mountain tops. Help me to navigate this thing called life in this crazy world, Father, so that I go through everything knowing and embracing that You are always there with me and that my eternal salvation is the ultimate prized possession of mine in this life!
COMMAND (verse 15): In this verse, some of the local crowd were falsely claiming the Apostles were “gods on earth” and the Apostles did not like hearing this. They ran into the crowd refuting those claims immediately stating that they are only men just like those in the crowd, but they have been sent by the one true and living God with a message to profess to them. Your command here is that we should “turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the seas, and everything in them.” Help me to turn from anything unholy and ungodly in my life, Father, so that my sites are always on You through all that I may encounter in this life. Help me to follow this command by reminding me that You are always there with me, no matter what I am going through. Also remind me, when times are good, that You are still there carrying me through those good times as well.
EXAMPLE (verse 5-7): I go back to these verses because I find this as such a powerful example to live by, especially for me personally. The Apostles were essentially delivering a powerful message from You to the Jews, the Gentiles, and the leaders. Some of them, however, refuted what the Apostles were saying and began to move towards wanting to stone them for the lies and deceit which they were preaching. The Apostles didn’t “run in fear for their lives” as some would think this message implies. They removed themselves from a situation which obviously had no victory for Your kingdom once they realized there was too much resistance, hatred, hurt, and sin amongst those people to bring eternal salvation through that particular message. They recognized that although their message was from You to the crowd through the Apostles, if the recipient of the message is not truly ready to receive it then they must move on. They recognized that their mission was to continue to evangelize to those who are ready by moving onto the next location instead of staying to become victims of those who are disobedient to You and are obviously not ready to hear the words You are speaking through the Apostles. Help me to be better at knowing when to move onto new things in my life, Father. Help me to be better at following their example here by knowing when I need to cut myself off and allow things to settle down instead of doing what I often do, which is add fuel to the fire. Please be there to always remind me when I am going to far and need to just stop in the moment, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: Once again, I find that Your timing is always perfect and quite simply just amazes me. Yesterday I received a personalized message about facing some type of “wilderness” in our lives, but to always keep my eyes on Jesus. Then, today, I read this message which essentially is a full-blown example straight from Your word on the exact same topic. I do not know what trials or “wilderness” I will face in the future, Father, but what I do know is that You will always be there to help me through them as long as I always keep my eyes on You. Help me to embrace today’s lessons in my life, Father. Help me to meditate on these thoroughly, so that I embrace them into my heart. Remind me that I do not need to “win” every argument nor do I need to go through all the hardships of this life alone. Thank You for today’s conversation, Father. Thank You for being there for me, even when I am sometimes feeling alone.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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