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The Call

Daily Reading

Acts 21-23

Daily Thought

Paul was a good Jew, a devout scholar, a Pharisee “educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers” (Acts 22:3). He believed Jesus to be a fraud and rightly crucified, and all who followed Jesus deserved the same. “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women” (Acts 22:4).

Then, suddenly, on the road to pursue Christians in the city of Damascus, a bright light streamed from heaven and flooded Paul’s path of persecution. The beam from heaven blinded him to the visible world and opened his eyes to things unseen. Paul, now on his knees, was introduced to his Savior. Jesus, put to death as a would-be Messiah, is alive and seated on the throne of heaven. 

This changes everything and it changed Paul. Paul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” and once that question had been asked and answered, a second must follow, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10), because the truth of Jesus is more than a matter of belief, it is a call to action.

Daily Prayer

God, open my eyes to the Truth. Do not let be enamored and deceived by what glitters in this world, but may I always delight in the glory of heaven. I know who You are because You made Yourself known. I’m now responsible for what I know, but it is no burden, it is the greatest privilege and pleasure of my life. I now look to You to show me what to do, and whatever You say, I will say, “Yes”; wherever You lead, I will go.

Amen

Daily Question

Can Jesus be your Savior without being your Lord?

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Bad for Business

Daily Reading

Acts 18-20

Daily Thought

In 1904, a revival broke out in Wales, and over one hundred thousand sinners suddenly put their trust in Jesus Christ. It was reported that crime slowed to a standstill. Taverns and brothels were deserted because churches were packed. Sir T. Marchant Williams, a circuit judge, observed that his work was much lighter, especially regarding drunkenness and related offenses. The police force had time to form a choir and sing at revival meetings. Coal miners stopped cursing and their donkeys and mules stopped obeying instructions when they could not understand the gentler words of their masters. 

The revival lasted less than a year.

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” ~John 3:19

The city of Ephesus is a city of idols and its Temple of Artemis counted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Paul entered this city proclaiming Jesus as the true Lord and Savior and “gods made with hands are not gods” (Acts 19:26), which is exactly how they made their gods, and more importantly, sold their idols. Idols were bad gods, but good business. “A man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen” (Acts 19:24), but the preaching of Paul was turning many away from idolatry, so he called his fellows together with a warning, “there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing” (Acts 19:27). The former concerned him more than the latter. 

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” ~1John 5:21

That’s the thing about Jesus, he changes everything. The collateral “damage” of Christianity is it may be bad for business if your business depends on the bad.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, you are the King of kings. May Your Kingdom be established on earth. Your grace has changed my heart. May it change my community. May “In God We Trust” become a reality in this country. But first, may it be a reality in Your church. Purify Your people God, so that we might be a light and a blessing to the world.

Start with my heart, God. I cannot show You to the world unless the world can see You in me. Create in me a clean heart, fully devoted to You.

Amen

Daily Question

What have you stopped doing once you put Jesus in charge of your life?

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Miracles

Daily Reading

Acts 16-17

Daily Thought

Jail became common to the disciples, and outcomes were unpredictable; Herod killed James, an angel rescued Peter (see Acts 12:1-7). So, when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, it was not surprising to find them praying deep into the night. But if you think they were praying for themselves, you’d be wrong.

The jailer had strict orders “to keep them safely” (Acts 16:23), but an earthquake struck, releasing their bonds and opening the gates of their cells. If they were praying for a miracle, this was it! The jailer knew it, too, and “he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped” (Acts 16:27). Instead, Paul and Silas had remained in their cell. They traded their safety for the jailer’s salvation and convinced the other prisoners to remain, as well. When the jailer saw this, he asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 

While sitting in jail, their future in doubt, the prayers of Paul and Silas were not for the safety of themselves, but the salvation of others, and the jailer “was baptized at once, he and all his family” (Acts 16:33). That was the real miracle.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, my time is not as important as someone’s eternity, my safety not as important as their salvation. May my prayers and my priorities reflect the values of heaven and may my life point others to my Lord. 

I trust you with all my life and that changes my attitude about everything and everyone. Teach me to love others more, to live boldly, to share freely, to serve like my Savior.

Amen

Daily Question

What kind of things do you pray for that have to do with today and what kind of things have to do with eternity?

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Do What You Can’t

Daily Reading

Acts 14-15

Daily Thought

Paul and Barnabas arrived at Iconium and spoke of Jesus in the synagogue and many believed, both Jew and Gentile, “but the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds” (Acts 14:2) and the city became divided. Those against threatened to stone Paul and Barnabas, so the disciples fled to Lystra, where they spoke again of Jesus, and did miracles, too. The people began calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes and worshiped them rather than the Savior they spoke of and the gospel of Jesus was drowned out by the people’s passion for their own Greek gods. The Iconium Jews, who had chased them out of their own city, caught up with them here and persuaded the crowd to stone Paul and so they did and dragged him out of the city and left him for dead, but he got right back up and went right back into the city. Like the Energizer Bunny, these disciples kept going and going, traveling from Derbe to Pisidia to Pamphylia to Attalia, finally to Antioch, where they ignored what the cities had done to them and “declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, is the Savior of the world, and the disciples took the message out of Israel to city and nation, one after another. Like David against Goliath, it never dawned on the disciples they were too small to win the world, so they kept going and people kept believing and the good news of Jesus Christ spread “from Jerusalem to all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If you decide you cannot do something, you will be right every time, so leave those decisions to God and do whatever he says. You will be amazed what gets done. 

Daily Prayer

My God, may I go as long and as far as You lead, and keep going because You keep leading. Give me the passion and boldness to enter open doors and knock on closed ones. May I burn with the memory of what Your salvation did to my life and fan that flame so Your fire for this world never dies within me.

Keep me encouraged and enthusiastic, faithfully living and speaking grace and truth, and trusting You for changed lives. God, I will stop listening to what I think I cannot do; rather I will listen to what You say I can!

Amen

Daily Question

What should you be doing right now that you don’t think you can?

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A Red Umbrella

Daily Reading

Acts 11-13

Daily Thought

Herod the king discovered popularity with certain Jews by killing Christians, and so “he killed James the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:2). Peter was next, but it was not to be. God intervened; “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” (Acts 12:7). Peter was led past sleeping guards and open gates and deposited outside the jail and inside the city.

It is fair to ask why Peter was rescued and not James–why one and not the other, why not both or neither. I do not know the answer to this, but I do know that neither was more important to God, nor more loved by God, because death is no worse a fate than life to the faithful, and both rest in the hands of God.

Perhaps due to the death of James, when Peter was taken, “earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5). Also, due to the death of James, their faith was lacking. When a servant girl interrupted the disciples and informed them Peter was outside waiting at the door, safe and unharmed, their response was a faithless, “You are out of your mind” (Acts 12:15).

Once upon a time there was a farming town in the midst of a long drought and the people gathered at church to pray. Twelve year old Susie came, as well, and came prepared. By her side on the pew laid her red umbrella. She alone thought to bring one.

“Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door, they saw him and were amazed” (Acts 12:16). The disciples did one thing wrong, they did not have faith. Nevertheless, they did one thing right, they prayed anyway. Their prayer lacked faith, but they were faithful to pray. Pray and have faith, but if you find faith difficult, pray anyway.

And bring an umbrella.

Daily Prayer

Father God, I know that You are faithful and true. I know that You can do all things. I know that what You promise will happen.

God, I have faith. Help me with my faith. May I trust You and live my life reflecting my faith and confidence in You. When I pray, may I not be surprised, but still amazed, when You answer.

Amen

Daily Question

Are you confident God will hear and answer your prayers? How confident? Why?

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I Got You

Daily Reading

Acts 9-10

Daily Thought

Firm in his belief that he was serving God, Paul was pursuing and persecuting Christians as far away as Damascus, a six-day journey. One saint in Damascus knew of his reputation and feared his coming, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem” (Acts 9:13). But on the road to Damascus, God confronted Paul. Paul had thought Jesus a fraud, when from heaven, Jesus spoke to Saul, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5).

Oops. 

Paul met Jesus and his life turned upside down–which was now actually right-side up. 

I came home from college the summer following my freshman year and ran into a high school friend named John, but we called him “Animal.” An all-city nose guard, he was crazy on and off the football field. A wicked wit, he often spoke in rhyme, funny and filthy. “Hey Animal,” I smiled, anticipating a barrage of profanity, blasphemy, and debauchery. Instead, I got Grace. I got the Gospel. I got to hear about his friend, Jesus Christ. 

“John, what happened?”

“I got Jesus.” 

And Jesus got John.

Paul got the Gospel and Jesus got Paul. Repentance means to turn around, go the opposite direction. Paul repented. “All who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name?’ But Paul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 9:21-22). Boy, did he turn around!

Nice people might make nice Christians, but watch what happens when God gets ahold of a person of unbridled passion.

Daily Prayer

It’s amazing grace, my God. I was a sinner, and You changed me. Now, I am a saint. May I never forget the transformation, and may I never tire of telling the story.

The goodness, the righteousness, the holiness of Your Son is now mine. I still sin, I know I do. But no longer am I a sinner. I am a child of God, not by anything I have done, but by the work of Jesus Christ. May the passion I used to display toward worldliness and wickedness be given to godliness all the more.

Amen

Daily Question

How can people tell that Jesus got you?

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Audience of One

Daily Reading

Acts 7-8

Daily Thought

Stephen was dragged into the council room, placed before the court, and interrogated about Jesus. He answered by opening the Scriptures and teaching the chief priest and elders a lesson from their own history, from Abraham to Joseph to Moses to David. He then accused these “stiff-necked people” of following in the footsteps of their forefathers: “As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:51-52). Their fathers killed the prophets, the council killed the Son of God, and now for his insolence, they would put Stephen to death.

As they picked up stones to throw at him, Stephen looked up, and heaven was opened; and “full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).

Travel back a couple months to the night before the cross. Jesus was on trial in the same council room before the same court, and the high priest asked if he was the Christ, the Messiah. For an answer, Jesus announced, “From now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Luke 22:69). 

But he wasn’t sitting now; he was standing. 

Stephen endured the wrath of the council to stand faithful before his Savior. Stephen stood before an audience of one and now his Savior stood for him. You can picture Jesus applauding.

Daily Prayer

My Lord and my God, You have my allegiance. I am Your ambassador, and will stand on earth and represent You with all my heart and soul and mind and strength. I love You that much. At least I want to. My love fails at times, but You never fail, so strengthen me. I will stand, but please pick me up when I fall, hold me when I weaken.

You began a good work in me, and I trust You to complete it. May I cast aside anything that slows or stops the progress. I long to see You standing, to hear You say, “Well done.”

Amen

Daily Question

When have you stood for Jesus when it was not a popular stance?

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God Bless You

Daily Reading

Acts 4-6

Daily Thought

For those who question whether the cross is the only way to salvation, Jesus wondered as well, praying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me” (Luke 22:42). But there wasn’t another way and there isn’t another Savior, and only Jesus died for our sins. Peter properly proclaimed, “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). The Jewish religious leaders thought they had silenced Jesus in death, but death didn’t hold him. When he rose from the tomb, his followers rose from despair “and every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching” (Acts 5:42).

Now the leaders sought to silence the disciples, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name” (Acts 5:28).

For 80 years, the graduation ceremonies of Washington Community High School included a prayer, until 2001, when a lawsuit was filed and the court ruled, “No, you may not pray.” That was the year prayer was silenced. Almost. Ryan stood at the podium, the final student speaker. Quiet for a moment, he then opened his mouth to speak, but instead, “Ahh-choo,” he sneezed. From out of the graduating class of 2001 came the response, students united in a simple prayer, “God bless you.”

Peter and John answered then as we must answer now, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). When Jesus rose from the dead, he made it clear, the world cannot cancel the Truth.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~John 14:6

Daily Prayer

Lord God, I shout Your Name because You are worthy of praise. And if I don’t, the rocks will cry out. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Creation itself declares loudly Your wonders, Your wisdom, Your beauty and grace, Your majesty.

Lord, may I be bold, may I say Your Name aloud because it is the Name of salvation, and because the world needs to be saved. How can I not speak of You? You are the good news of salvation to a lost world.

Amen

Daily Question

Why is there no other way to salvation than Jesus?

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Great Things

Daily Reading

Acts 1-3

Daily Thought

You would think seeing Jesus alive would fire up the disciples, empower them to take the good news of Jesus to the world, but it didn’t happen that way. After Jesus rose from the tomb, the disciples locked themselves in a room “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19). Jesus appeared to them and showed them the nail holes in his hands and his side where the spear had pierced him. One week later, the disciples were in the same room, doors locked again. Jesus showed up again, same routine. What happened after that? “Simon Peter said to them, ‘I’m going fishing’” (John 21:3), and off they went.

We are made in God’s image, but we are dead in our sin and we must be awakened. We, too, must rise from the dead and we don’t summon that life because we experienced an event, no matter how dramatic. Our batteries are not drained, they are dead; they cannot hold a charge. God must reach inside us and renew our life. 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ~Acts 1:8 

A short time later, the disciples were gathered together in a room “and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-4), and it was then that a bunch of faint-hearted followers transformed into world-changing warriors.

Daily Prayer

Jesus, You said that we, Your followers, Your church, will do greater things than You did. I mean, You are the salvation of the world. Yours is the Name above all names. What could be greater? It is a wonderful humility to know it is not in our power to do great things for You, but through Your power in us great things will be done. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, we carry the message, the Good News of salvation to the world. Through Your power, lives are changed. That’s pretty great!

Father God, may I be faithful to follow Your Word, going to the world, in the power of Your Spirit, in the Name of Your Son, with the gospel of grace. I will be faithful to plant the seeds and water the soil and leave it to You, God, to make it grow.

Amen

Daily Question

What is it like to have the power of the Holy Spirit filling you?

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No Doubt

Daily Reading

John 19-21

Daily Thought

Following the resurrection, Jesus appeared to many of his followers. The disciples, minus Thomas, were gathered in a locked room when Jesus “came and stood among them” (John 20:19). Later, when they ran into Thomas, their excitement was evident, “We have seen the Lord!”

People don’t rise from the dead, so it was understandable when Thomas challenged them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). Richard Dawkins, biologist, atheist, and author of “The God Delusion,” admires Thomas’s skepticism, “Science is based upon verifiable evidence. Religious faith not only lacks evidence, its independence from evidence is its pride and joy, shouted from the rooftops. Why else would Christians wax critical of doubting Thomas? The other apostles are held up to us as exemplars of virtue because faith was enough for them. Doubting Thomas, on the other hand, required evidence.”

Eight days later, Jesus appeared again, and this time Thomas was in the room. Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27).

“Perhaps he should be the patron saint of scientists,” Richard Dawkins suggests. Fair enough, Patron of Scientists, Saint Thomas, who upon looking at the evidence, bowed and worshiped, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). No doubt.

Daily Prayer

Jesus, Son of Almighty God, Risen Lord and Savior, bearing the marks of the cross still. You bore the cross, the pain of death, and the greater pain of sin, so that I might be saved. When Thomas looked at Your hands, he did not simply see proof of who You were. He saw proof of what You bore, what you had done. For him. For me. For the whole world.

Jesus, You are God of all creation. When You paint a sunset, the right response is not mere belief,  but worship. Thank You, Jesus, You are my Lord and my God. Thank You for giving me life and placing me in a world You created for us, for seeking after I lost You, for saving me, for loving me.

Amen

Daily Question

What kind and how much evidence do you need to believe in Jesus?