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Daily Dose

Every Day

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“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” 
Acts 2:46 NIV

When was the last time you studied Acts? The book is significant because it details the lives of the disciples in the tenuous days after Jesus was resurrected. These ordinary men could have easily gone their separate ways and returned to their former lives, which is exactly what the Sanhedrin expected them to do with their leader gone, but instead, filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to work together to carry out the great commission. Here are seven lessons I believe we can learn from these early disciples which are just as applicable to believers today as they were 2000 years ago.

  1. The disciples committed to each other, knowing that their efforts required teamwork and love. “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” Acts 2:46 NIV.

 

  1. They had not been trained in special schools and they were not religious leaders. They were simple men who had been chosen by Jesus to do His work. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” Acts 4:13 NIV.

 

  1. They shared the word of God boldly, even though they could be persecuted for it. After Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin and commanded by them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, they prayed “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” Acts 4:29 NIV.

 

  1. They selflessly took care of each other’s needs. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had” Acts 4:32 NIV.

 

  1. They were not afraid of what people thought. After they were brought before the Sanhedrin again to explain why they continued to teach in the name of Jesus, they replied “We must obey God rather than men” Acts 5:29 NIV.

 

  1. They did not let fear of persecution stop them. “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” Acts 5:41-42 NIV.

 

  1. They did not serve for any human gain. When a new believer tried to pay money to receive the Holy Spirit, Peter said “You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God” Acts 8:21 NIV.

 

We tend today to stick to our daily routines, not sharing our burdens with others, afraid we are not good enough, afraid of what other people might think, but God has a plan and as believers we are allowed to be a part of it. 2000 years after these early disciples, we are still here following Jesus. Let’s learn from these men and not stick to our old lives but boldly proclaim what Jesus has done for us to bring in new believers to share in the living water that only comes from Christ. Our job on earth is not to be idle but to live every day for Him.

Walking with you in Christ,

Erin Tabor

 

 

Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/bread-farmer-s-bread-crispy-baked-1281053/

Holes in the Darkness

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“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”Daniel 12:3, NIV

Scottish novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson spent much of his childhood bedridden due to a chronic lung disease. One evening, he watched a lamplighter light gas lamps on the street outside his bedroom window. When his nurse came into his room and found him with his face pressed up against the glass pane, she asked, “What intrigues you so?”  He replied, “I’m watching a man punch holes in the darkness.”

 

God punched a hole in the darkness at creation when He said, “Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3).

 

Jesus punched a hole in the darkness when He came to earth and said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

 

Christ-followers punch holes in the darkness whenever we let our lights shine. “You are the light of the world … let your light shine” (Matthew 5:14, 16).

 

Years ago, I received a phone call from a distraught friend. Her three-year-old was afraid of the dark. All of their attempts to comfort their daughter had failed. “Please pray,” she said. “Every morning we find her asleep in the hall. I don’t know what to do.” We agreed to pray against her child’s spirit of fear and the next morning my friend called to say her daughter had slept through the night.

 

Later that day, I bought a package of glow-in-the-dark plastic stars and took them to their home. When we led her daughter into the pantry and shut the door, the stars lit up the small room. I told her to ask her daddy to put them on the ceiling above her bed, then she could look at them and know that Jesus watches over her and would keep her safely through the night.

 

Once again, she slept.

 

Days later, I received a note from her mother. “Every night our daughter wants to turn out the nightlight so that she can see the stars. She says, ‘I can still see them, Mommy!’ It’s been a good reminder for us that sometimes we can see God shining brightly in our circumstances and at other times we have to look for him a little harder, but he is always there.”

 

To glow in the dark, phosphorus stars need continuous exposure to light. Likewise, in order for our lights to shine, we must position ourselves regularly in the presence of the Light Giver. Then, when we step into someone’s darkness, we’ll witness God punch holes in it and fill their soul holes with light.

 

Blessings,

Starr

 

Missing Jesus

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“After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.”
Luke 2:43 NIV

Mary felt a gentle tug on her tunic.

“Where’s Jesus?”

She stooped and looked into the large brown eyes of the young boy clinging to his mother’s hand and brushed his tousled hair from his forehead. “I’m sure he’s with Joseph.”

As she lifted her gaze to his mother, tears left tracks on her dust-covered skin. “Jesus continues to remind me that he’s twelve now—’almost a man.’” She stood, brushed her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, and forced a smile. “I suppose I must grow accustomed to him not wanting to tag along with his mother on our trips to and from Jerusalem. He’d rather join in with the banter of the men at the rear of the caravan.”

She reached down and clasped the boy’s hand then continued on the way with her friend.

_________

“Where’s Jesus?”

Joseph kicked a stone along the dusty desert road and chuckled at his friend’s question. “I’m sure he’s with Mary. As much as he likes to be with the men, he worries about his mother. He knows it’s difficult for her to accept the fact that he’s no longer her ‘little boy.’” He shook his head and sighed. “She’ll adjust.”

_________

“Where’s Jesus?”

Mary’s almond-shaped eyes bulged as she stared into Joseph’s anxious face. “Isn’t he

with you?

He swallowed hard. “No. I thought he was with you.”

Her eyes darted through the crowd as she pushed her way past the weary travelers

then pointed in the opposite direction. “Joseph, go that way. We’ve got to find Jesus. I

can’t believe he’s missing!”

_________

 

“Where’s Jesus?”

What’s your reply?

Stop and look around you. Is Jesus missing from your days? How long has it taken you to notice he’s slipped into the background of your activities? Can you even remember the last time you heard his voice?

If not, don’t fret. God’s not abandoned you. Although you’ve drifted, he’s never taken his eyes from you. There’s no place he’d rather be than in the center of your activity. He promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Panic-stricken, Mary and Joseph returned to the place they’d last seen Jesus. Perhaps we should too. They found him in the temple sitting among the teachers discussing the things of the Spirit. Perhaps, we will too. When Mary asked Jesus why he had stayed behind, he replied, “Didn’t you know, I must be about my Father’s business?” Perhaps, we should be too.

Are you missing Jesus? When was the last time you opened God’s word, darkened the door of his house, or surrounded yourself with his family? Take time to be still and focus on his Word. Ask him to meet you there. You’ll find him—I promise.

Blessings,

Starr