Day 116, Acts 9
Good day everyone!
Happy Feast Day of Saint Rita!
She is the patron Saint of Forgiveness and don’t we need this in our lives now more than ever!
Today we see Saul heading to Jerusalem because the Jews were now conspiring to kill him!
The disciples had to take him down a wall at night in a basket — I mean these are tough times for Saul — and I am noticing that his name is still Saul here — so we will have to be attentive to when his name changes to Paul -
When he arrives in Jerusalem I am sure he thought he would be welcomed with open arms!!!
But not quite — you see they were all afraid of him! They did not believe that he was a disciple now –
Saul spoke out boldly in the name of Jesus and debated with the Hellenists who then tried to kill him –
This reminds me of anyone who has a major conversion and comes to the church even today!
I mean the problem becomes that all the believers in the church — faithful — look at the person and remember their past –
Tough thing but I too remember this problem as I faced it when I first came to the church!
I can remember people judging some of my actions — thinking of who I was before and making assumptions as to what I thought I was doing in the church!
I can remember some people making judgments and accusations but not offering to help me or instruct me as I made my way back to a life of faith and Christian living –
It is a hard thing to go from a life of sin to a life of holiness when you are on your own — you have Jesus of course but you need community — so when the community is not in support of you or is afraid of you –
this is a problem –
so when the brothers learned of this they sent him to Tarsus!
that is the end of that for now… stay tuned to what happens…
In the mean time we see Peter and the power of God also telling people to GET UP!
SO Saul just Got up — Spiritually and here we see more healings – miracles – where people can GET UP!
Key here was that all the churches were at Peace –
Peter says to Aeneas who had been in bed paralyzed for 8 years –
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed”
He got up at once — Praise the Lord!
Do you see how there was work to do with the healing — Get up and make your bed — we’ve got to get up from our situations and then make the bed — the mess we were lying in!
So you see there is always work we are to do to work with Christ even after healing — we don’t just sit back and do nothing!!! And expect God to do everything -
- we have to be responsible and move when the Lord speaks — but what if we can’t hear him say GET UP?
So we have to be still and silent and let God be God!!! Only by grace can we do this!
Now Peter was in Lydda with Aeneas when in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha –
and I love reading that she was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
She fell sick though… and died and after washing her they laid her in a room upstairs…
So since they heard that Peter was in Lydda close to Joppa — they called for Peter!
Two men were sent to tell Peter to please come without delay!
PETER GOT UP — and went with them — and when he got there all the widows were showing him all the cloaks that Tabitha named Dorcus had made — maybe they were for disciples?
Peter sent them all out and knelt and prayed!
Then he turned to her body and said — meaning that he was not facing her before –
“TABITHA, rise up”
Amazing!!!! She opened her eyes – saw Peter and sat up!
He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive.
whoooooo hooooo!
God is so faithful and good — not even sickness and death can keep us away from experiencing God’s mercy and power!
Peter presents her alive to all the widows and disciples the holy ones —
This must have been a very holy place!
The word spread all over JOPPA — and of course many came to believe in the Lord!
And so from here Peter stayed a long time with Simon a tanner —
What I really see here today is that God has a plan — and our situations might look to the human eye as dead — and all may be weeping over it — look at Tabitha/ Dorcus — a good disciple — many good works — and I am sure the people loved having her as a disciple –
and she gets sick and dies — but upon her rising — look how the Lord used it to bring many souls to Christ — how happy Dorcus must have been to be used by God like this –
She must have been praising him for this gift — so we too today must look at our lives and the places where there seems like only death — that new life will come if we lay it all down at the feet of Jesus and not fall into despair — but rest in His saving help and hope for us!!!
May God be our hope and salvation each day — and may we all heed this precious word today!
I know I will! Thank you for being here today! God bless you and your family!
And there are more adventures of Peter in Joppa — we will continue on Monday — with Chapter 10 — I will be in Lancaster for Pentecost giving a talk — so if you don’t see the posting first thing Monday morning — know that it is coming soon!!! Check anyway thought because I will do my best to have it there early am!
