Acts 21:18 Paul went to James. And, what does their conversation look like? Is it Paul expounding on how he may be persecuted in Jerusalem? This is how I am going to be treated because I am a follower of The Way, a servant of The Living Word, a lover of Providence! They could kill me there in Jerusalem. No, that's not what is on Paul's mind. Acts 21:19 "After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry." Oh, I must repent of drawing attention to my problems. I miss the main point---what God is doing! "On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Uproar. Revolt. Mobbings. Turmoil. Confusion. Paul is dragged out of the temple in Jerusalem. Well, that's the last place that you would expect to find your opposition. You think that the enemies of Christ---the worldly--- are the ones who will give you trouble. But, it was his cohorts, his co-workers seeking to kill him. A city in confusion. Paul's response: May I say something in Hebrew? May I speak to the people? The ones who are planning to kill me! You know what's coming. Paul surely will not speak about himself and his suffering. He will honor his Christ. The opposition he found was from those inside the temple not outside.
to be continued ...
It was a Providential God Who showed up at my office and arranged for Britt to be seen today by a cancer specialist at 3pm. Pray for my boy. And we must relate what God is doing. He's making shifts in our hearts that can only come from Him. Bob is back in Fort Worth roofing a house, his second week there. And God is doing some precious things in his heart on a very hot roof! Thanks so much for your prayers.
ReplyDeletePraising God that God showed up in such a wonderful way for Britt. I have prayed that God would straighten out this crooked path in front of him. You were sensitive to the Spirit and God honored that and led you in the right direction. Praising God for His protection of Britt. Praying for Bob on the hot roofs in Fort Worth. May we all listen to the quiet voice within us telling us in our spirit which way to turn.
ReplyDeletePaul, relaying what God has done one by one, counting the miracles among the Gentiles. Beautiful picture of praise amid persecution, Paul, the faithful disciple, fearlessly recounts what his eyes have witnessed of God's mighty Hand. I want those kind of eyes. Eyes that don't take in the danger, the difficulty, but soak up the miracles among us.
ReplyDeleteMiracles among us, indeed! Miracles of finding the right doctor for Britt, restoring Mary Lou's beautiful heart, taking care of the details in our lives. And overcoming in these "details" is His specialty--You both give Him the credit so sweetly. Like Paul, you point my eye back to Christ Jesus.
Because of His Love--we look with joy to the days ahead.
Stopped by today to check in with my "reading friends". Sorry that I do not post more often, as I know the interaction between like-minded is such a benefit. Things have been hard lately with some health issues that have been ongoing for me, caring for elderly parents and some minor child issue. Thanking God for Mary Lou's miracle and praying or Brit's. Know that I do think of you all as I read.
ReplyDeleteYou would not waste a prayer on me (as Beth says). Life is hard, but God is faithful.
Thankful for Britt's quick care and for those precious things in Bob's heart...even on a hot roof!
ReplyDeleteI wave to you, 'Nise, here from Georgia, and I feel the pressure you are under. May God give you the wisdom and strength to carry on.
Mary Lou, I just read a devotion today about listening to the quiet voice within us. So many can't hear Him because of all the noise we surround ourselves with. He's speaking to me through His Word and through His gentle encouragements in my heart today. I'm so thankful...
Annette, love your thoughts. Eyes to see daily miracles. What JOY to know Him, to feel Him, to sense Him, to hear Him. And to be a part of His Work today. Paul took no credit for what was happening in the lives of Gentiles...on the Lord gets all the credit. Paul was so changed by the Lord. Oh how I pray that we will accept the drama of our lives and allow Him to change us, to use us, to lead us on by faith.
Wondering who shut the gates in this passage. Somehow I think God did. These Jews are about to hear a message that they must choose to accept or reject. God gave them no chance to escape this opportunity.
"...all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut."
Oooh! Loved that Twinkle----the gates were shut....I can hear them slamming shut. I want to go back and read it again in light of this. Thank you so.
ReplyDeleteI would like to relate what God did today. I think that had we gone to the other doctor, she might have proceeded with the biopsy. The doctor we did go with would not biopsy his lip. Diagnosed it as a lentigo. He wants to watch it over the next 3 months to see if it grows. If it doesn't, we wait. If it does, we biopsy. It will leave a knot on his lip and scar tissue that plastic surgery couldn't fix. Thanks so much for your prayers. We're at peace with it. So, what God did and still is, well it's just amazing. The $150 consultation revealed lentigo with no biopsy. Other doctors might have scarred him for life. Spared. But more than circumstances, we saw God working in our relationships today, our trust of Him in unknown, and the stirring of our resolve to deal with what's going on inside.