Unexpected Answer

"Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door...she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it..." (Acts 12:13).

Do you sometimes pray with a degree of skepticism? Even while you're asking God to show the way out of your financial ruin or to take the cancer away or to grant comfort in the recent loss of a loved one, you don't actually expect to see "an answer" from God.

In today's reading, an angel miraculously freed Peter from jail. The fervent prayers of Peter's friends had been answered just as they'd hoped! Rhoda quickly recognized Peter's voice and God's answer to prayer. The other friends' cynical response when Rhoda told them he was at the door indicates their lack of faith.

How often do we pray for others, only to lose faith the longer we wait? The beauty of this story isn't just God sparing Peter's life; it's also God's willingness to allow skeptics to recognize His hand and share in the joy of God's answer.

Rejoice when God provides finances, healing, or comfort. Realize He may choose not to provide those. But above all trust Him and rest in His care.

Always in Style

"They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening
of their hearts" (Ephesians 4:18).

Each season retailers advertise new lines of clothing, promoting new styles and latest trends. It's hard to keep up with the changes!

Paul's encouragement "to put off your old self... and to put on the new self" relates to the clothing of our mind. The purpose isn't to make ourselves, our church, or our God reflect a fashionable image. The purpose is for us to reflect the very image of God.

When the routine of life turns into a season of heartache, we usually don't understand God's ways. Bitterness clothes us. After all, a darkened understanding coordinates well with distancing ourselves from God and hardening our hearts. But we "did not come to know Christ that way" (Ephesians 4:20).

Even while we wait for a difficult situation to end, we remember we're clothed in righteousness. Because Christ has redeemed us, we wear the clothing that displays truthfulness, self-control, and encouragement, attributes reflecting our magnificent Designer. Such apparel, purchased for us with Christ's own blood, will never go out of style.
Blessed one stay in His Love

I'll Wait for Heaven

"...Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently" (Romans 8:18, 25).

"If you don't pick up your play dough, you won't be allowed to play with it for a very, very long time!" the young mother threatened.

Her toddler thought for a moment and asked, "Can I play with it when I get to heaven?"

Waiting wouldn't be so bad if we always thought of our delays with an eternal perspective. Instead we fret, wanting to know when our struggle will be over. Will my problem end in a week or in a month? Will the relationship be restored soon?

Paul reminds the Romans that allowing God's glory to shine through their struggle gives them strength to wait. Paul focuses attention on God being glorified through suffering, not on God ending it. Some people use this passage to justify that God is obligated to smooth out life's problems. God's eternal perspective does not limit the fulfillment of His promises to our timetable. Regardless of when He brings an answer, we can be as satisfied as the toddler who will once again play with his play dough - even if he waits until heaven.

Peaceful Parting

"They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark...but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord" (Acts 15:39-40).

Although we may idealize the lives and faith of Biblical characters, Scripture shows their lives to be very human, filled with struggles. For example, Paul wanted to return with Barnabas to the towns in which they had previously preached. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin, John Mark. Paul adamantly refused since Mark had previously deserted them. A disagreement arose.
Paul saw Barnabas's decision as unwise; Barnabas saw Paul's decision as unforgiving. Unable to reach a compromise, they parted ways. Yet they remained committed to their mission of strengthening churches and bringing unbelievers to faith. God blessed both of them.

Throughout history, successful partners have been effective and memorable. Still sometimes partners reach an impasse. Ideally we would compromise and continue working together since God delights in unity.

Paul and Barnabas' experience illustrates, however, that at times God blesses a peaceful parting.

"Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind" (Acts 9:8).

After his encounter instead of condemning the followers of Christ to their death, Saul desired to follow Christ with his life.
Once converted, he waited in blindness for three days. How long those three days must have seemed to Saul. Would it last forever? Yet those days of darkness never diminished his desire to serve Christ. While blind, he waited; once healed, he sprang up for the cause of Christ.

In our darkest days of worry, regret or failure, we may reach a standstill. The wait is not because God will not forgive us or because He doesn't have time to help. More likely, we're just unable to see how God brings the healing we need. He may send a friend with compassion and encouragement. Though we wait in the dark, God will not leave us there.
Others are waiting in the dark..and these audio bibles could be their last hope. Do keep us in Prayer. stay blessed.

Compelling Temptation

Jesus understands the lure of instant gratification. He was "tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He resisted every temptation because He knew the truth of Scripture. God's character has been revealed through Jesus. Why wouldn't I confidently trust in God's timing and His provision?

We can resist the lure of temptation by filling up with the nourishing truth of God's Word.
Blessed one, we trust in God to open up a door for us to distribute these electronic bibles. Stay blessed and do Pray for this Ministry.

The need to wait....

When our needs are greater than our faith in God's intervention, He may be trying to increase our faith. He sees the need we bring to Him, but He also sees the need for our faith to grow. When God is not "showing up", or when we feel most desperate for His help, wait while your faith grows and God is glorified.

As we wait to build our webserver for christ..let's remember that waiting is a faith increasing catalyst. I love you all in the Lord.

The Gospel is here to stay

Blessed one,
We are embarking on setting up a big web server to host audio bibles( in various languages) for free listening and download. Please join this blog and support the project.
God bless you all.