Acts 9

To me, this chapter is all about transformation: first we're told of Saul's conversion, and then the healing of paralyzed Aeneas, and finally Tabitha/Dorcas being restored to life. They're all very different accounts, but the main idea is the same: God changes us. He redirects our focus, He uses us for his glory, He heals us, He restores to us life itself when all hope seems lost.

God is good.

I have my own stories of transformation, too. I once was lost, searching aimlessly for an elusive, earthly acceptance. But God met me where I was and poured out his love on me, offering grace and forgiveness and a joy I'd not known before that. I was abandoned by someone who was supposed to love me, left alone, confused, and feeling hopeless. But God picked me up and surrounded me with brothers and sisters whose love and friendship carried me through a very dark time.

Yes, God is good.

In other ways, though, I still look forward to His transforming power in my life. I don't know if He'll ever free me from sins I still struggle with. I don't know when He'll heal the last, lingering wounds from my past. I don't know how He'll strengthen my faith, my marriage, my passion, my purpose. But I know that He is the only one who can.

Indeed, God is good!

Acts 8

At the start of this chapter, we see that the early Christians were being persecuted, so I guess they fled. At least, that's what I assume "they were scattered" means. But did this mean defeat for those early believers? Did the enemy triumph that day? Absolutely not! God used what was intended for evil to bring about good in this situation, as he so often does: "Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). Rather than squelching the spread of the Good News, this persecution promoted it. You know, I sometimes think we need a little more persecution in our Christian lives. In this country anyway, it's easy to get comfortable in our private, personal faith, forgetting those who have yet to hear the name or offer of Jesus Christ. Persecution changes that: it forces people to choose passion for their living God, if that's the choice they make. But hot or cold, persecution leaves no room for lukewarm. I'm not sure I really want to pray for persecution in my own life, but I do pray for passion at any cost.

Later in the chapter, the Lord arranges a divine meeting between Philip and a court official for the queen of Ehiopia. Philip hears the eunuch reading from the prophet Isaiah and asks him if he knows what it means. "And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him" (Acts 8:31). Now, this guy was obviously hungry for God. He was searching the Scriptures and actively pursuing truth, so naturally Philip told him the good news about Jesus. I like to think that if I were in Philip's shoes I could do the same thing. But what about the others we encounter in this life who are maybe searching in the wrong place, or maybe don't even know where to begin their search for truth? Or what about those people who are lost but don't realize it, or who are so lost they've lost the hope to be found? Can we, like Philip, meet them where they are? Can we also explain how Jesus alone can meet their every need? I wish I were better at recognizing and explaining what I know to be the only solution to all of life's problems: Jesus. Praying for the Spirit's guidance tonight, and the boldness to speak truth when the opportunity arises.

Acts 7

Tonight I read Acts 7. It's a good one.

So, after Stephen is seized and charged falsely, the high priest asks him if the accusations are true. For some reason, he decided to go back to Abraham and explain I don't know how many hundreds of years of Israel's history. It's a great summary, though, and I'm just in awe of how accurately this chapter depicts so much of the Old Testament. I wonder how it was written... I mean, I don't think people in those days had copies of the Law and the Prophets just lying around to study, but Stephen (and Luke) obviously knew their Scriptures. It's just amazing to me to think about this holy book and how it all came to be over so many years and with so many authors... Nothing short of miraculous, I'd say.

Then, when Stephen is done with his history lesson, he starts criticizing his accusers and captors: "You stiff-necked people..." he begins (Acts 7:51-53). Up to that point, he probably wasn't really telling them anything they hadn't heard before, but with this they'd heard enough. "They were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him" (vs. 54). So they took him out and stoned him (vs. 57-59). And yet, Stephen seemed completely at peace, full of the Holy Spirit, gazing up into heaven at the glory of God (vs. 55-56). He even asked God not to hold their sins against them (vs. 60), which reminds me of Jesus' own plea on the cross.

From this chapter I take away two things: I wish I knew God's Word better, and I wonder how I would handle facing death for my faith. Stephen is truly a role model in both regards.

Acts 6

Two things stood out to me as I read this chapter tonight.

The Twelve decided they should choose some reputable men to take care of the widows while they themselves continued preaching the word (Acts 6:1-6). It's not like they were above waiting tables or anything, but they knew where their gifts were and wanted to be faithful in using those gifts for the glory of God. I think it's easy sometimes to consider certain ministries more "important" or at least more "glamorous," but we are all part of the same body, called to serve in whatever way God equips us. Praying that God would confirm and/or reveal to me how he's specifically prepared me for ministry, and praying that my service would please him.

Then, some men started arguing with Stephen, "but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking" (Acts 6:10). So what did they do? Accept that wisdom and join the body of believers? Of course not! They secretly plotted against him, seized him, and set up false witnesses against him. Why are men (and women) so stubborn sometimes? Praying that God would show me ways in which I'm stubborn, too, and change me with his word of truth.

Acts 5

(Sorry, can't keep coming up with catchy titles for posts about random thoughts as I re-read Scripture...)

Continuing in Acts, chapter 5 tonight. A few thoughts:

• In the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), their sin was not that they did not give all they received from selling their land, but rather that they lied about the amount, I guess to appear more generous and/or holy. But Peter pointed out that they did not lie to men but to God. In our lives, people we try to deceive may not always catch on as quickly as Peter did here, but we need to remember that we can never fool God. He knows our true heart and motives.
• I love Peter's answer when he's asked why they continued teaching in Jesus' name even after they were strictly forbidden to do so: "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
• And I love the logic Gamaliel uses to reason with the council of chief priests who wanted to kill the apostles for speaking out in truth: "If this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" (Acts 5:38-39). He mentioned several other men who rose to power and gathered quite a few followers, but reminded the leaders how everyone was scattered once those men had died. So, in effect he's saying, "Why bother fighting this? Let's just leave them alone. If it's from God we can't stop it anyway, but if it's from man then it will take care of itself in time." Interesting. I wonder why some athiests today feel the need to fight so vehemently against Christianity...

Criticism Countered

Today, I continued reading in Acts, chapters 3 and 4. Two things stood out to me:

In chapter 3, Peter heals a lame man, then begins speaking to the people gathered there. He talks about how, even acting out of ignorance, they helped God fulfill what the prophets foretold about Christ's suffering. Then he says, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord . . ." (Acts 3:19-20, ESV). Refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord. How often I forget that and how naturally I turn to countless other gods seeking refreshment! And then in verse 26 he says, "God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness" (italics mine). Non-believers criticize Christianity's limitations and laws, but here I'm reminded that God blesses us by freeing us from our own wickedness. In His power I am, for the first time, free to choose NOT to sin. Oh, but why don't I utilize that power more often to choose good rather than evil, holiness rather than sin!

And then in chapter 4, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, begins preaching again: ". . . there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Again, Christianity is criticized for being exclusive and intolerant, and yet Peter boldly proclaims the only way to salvation. He knows what is true, and he will not be silent. In fact, he says, "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). The believers there that day prayed, too, for continued boldness in proclaiming truth (vs. 4:29). Why am I so different from those early believers? Why is it so easy for me to remain silent about all I've seen and heard? Today, I echo that prayer for boldness. How can I possibly keep quiet with all my God has done for me?

Chance?

Today I decided to begin reading Acts again. Not sure why, just sat down and began reading there. But I wanted to be a little more deliberate in reading, so I chose a different translation than I'm used to - the ESV. (I find that I often just kind of skim over stuff I'm already familiar with in the NIV.)

Anyway...

Not a lot of new insight or anything, but one thing I noticed: when deciding whether Joseph (called Barsabbas) or Matthias should take Judas' place, the apostles prayed and then cast lots. I can't say I understand exactly how "casting lots" works, but I think it's kind of like flipping a coin, right? So it would perhaps appear to be luck or chance that chose Matthias, but we assume God's hand was behind it since they prayed first. Just kinda makes me wonder how much, if anything, in life is truly left to chance... I tend to think of some things as being pretty random (like a coin toss to begin a football game), just because I assume God doesn't really care how that turns out. But does he? I mean, he's big enough and omnipresent, so why couldn't he be concerned about everything all at once, from the most obviously important all the way to the seemingly trivial details of life? And then I think: He's probably interested and involved in every detail of MY life, too. Even the things that I think he wouldn't be concerned about, he probably is. And that makes me smile.

Then in chapter 2, I really like how the ESV has vs. 36: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Peter preached a pretty good sermon there, and about three thousand were saved that day! Can you imagine? To be a part of something so huge? To be there when the Spirit was so obviously in their presence? And how awesome that God used Peter in such a magnificent way so soon after he denied knowing or being with Jesus. Praise God for his forgiveness and the second chances he offers! And I wonder: How might he use me in the future? How honored I will be! I just pray I hear his calling or feel his prompting so I don't walk right past such opportunities.

Good Morning, Girls!

In January, my BFF Beth emailed all the girls from our old college Bible study, asking if we'd be interested in starting up a long-distance, email-based accountability group. We would each do our own quiet times and then email the group to let everyone know what we'd learned, or what we were thinking or praying about. Everyone agreed that it was a fabulous idea, and in fact, the answer to a prayer. In college, I think we all took for granted how easy it was to walk with God together, but in the real world, it's often hard to connect with people and share with each other the deeper things that are going on in our lives.

It's been three months now since our "Good Morning Girls" group began, and I have to say, it's been a huge blessing! Yes, it's been awesome re-connecting with some of my favorite people, but even more than that, I'm thankful for the accountability. Honestly, it had been a long time time since I'd been faithful in spending time with God each day. And sure, sometimes it still feels like a chore, a task to cross off the old to-do list, but more often than not God rewards my effort with some neat new insight from his Word or just a sweet time of prayer with my true BFF.

Sometimes I write a lot to my girls - I'm sure their eyes widen when they open my message and find a novel. But I've found that I learn the most when I write out my thoughts on what I'd read or prayed. That is when it all really sinks in and settles into my soul. Sometimes I read my emails to Derek, too, and he always tells me how I should really be writing these thoughts in my blog. Which I've been meaning to do, almost since the Good Morning Girls got started. But then, I thought, I'd have to write an introduction to explain where these random postings are coming from... and so I never got around to it. Till tonight. 'Cause Derek told me AGAIN how I really should. So there ya go! Enjoy.