Jennifer A

Friends, we just wrapped up our 10 Days of Prayer on Saturday and that time should have encouraged our hearts to “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Bible mentions prayer over 650 times and so let’s recall what has transpired over the last couple of weeks surrounding the 10 Days of Prayer. I agree with Pastor Mary that this is a time we all must enlarge our theology, faith, confession, and understanding of God, as Jesus leads the way, and prayer should be at the center of it all.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 –
It was a week prior to the start of the 10 Days of Prayer, and it was also the day that Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. It was the perfect prayer motivator for all believers to “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” – Colossians 4:2

The 10 Days of Prayer –
It was 10 days – 100 cities – 50 countries – who all came together to form 1 global upper room. We will talk about the “upper room” later. So, our 10 Days of Prayer began on Wed, Oct 2nd which also began the Jewish high holiday period. Rosh Hashanah (or the Day of Trumpets) began on the evening of Oct 2nd and it is the first of the ten-day period which God’s people enter into a time of self-examination and repentance, known as the Ten Days of Awe (or Ten Days of Repentance), in other words they pray throughout the 10 days. This period concludes on the evening of Oct 12th with Yom Kippur (or the Day of Atonement), a time when God’s people abandon everything to purse God and His heart. There is typically fasting and extended prayer. “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” – Matthew 26:41

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 –
One week into the Jewish high holiday period, one week into our 10 Days of Prayer, and almost two weeks after Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida. Matthew tells us that God cares about our heart, He does not care about fancy words or public displays of good deeds, or the consumerism of this world, God longs for us to cry out to His Holy Name and to build His Kingdom here on earth, NOW, in preparation for the time when Jesus will return, which seems to be soon, and so that each of us is ready to spend eternity with Jesus. – Pray The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-14

The “Upper Room” and the “Global Upper Room” –
If you recall, in Acts 1, after Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples are together for 10 days in the “upper room”, and through prayer, worship, fasting, and repentance, they were all in one accord, and as the Father promised – 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out onto them and the Church was born.

What began in that upper room, over 2,000 years ago, with 120 believers is now a global upper room with 2.4 billion Christian believers (which includes you and me). As the global Church we embody every nation, from every tribe, and included is every language. Our time of prayer did not end on Saturday night, no we have every reason to pray, worship, fast, and repent, EVERY DAY, and especially on the heels of these hurricanes.

I don’t know about you, but the prophetic messaging through the Apostle John that Jesus gives to His entire Church in the book of Revelation stirs within my heart and makes me realize that I must be spiritually ready for Jesus’s return. To quote Pastor Mary, “This life we now live is about the Revelation of Jesus!” It is as simple as that, and today’s passage should make you and I want to be a part of the Great Crowd.

Revelation 7:9-17 (NLT)

Praise from the Great Crowd

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”

11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.

16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.

17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for making it very clear throughout Your Word, that we are to commune with You all of the time in prayer. Help us, Holy Spirit, to be better prayer warriors, who trust You with every aspect of our lives and with the lives of our loved ones. Help us to grow close with You and to deepen our understanding of Who You are through Your Word every single day. We want to be ready when You return, Jesus. We continue to pray for all who have been impacted by hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Please continue to restore power and hearts, rebuild homes and broken spirits, repair damages and relationships with You and with loved ones. Thank You for bringing people together to help one another. Strengthen the linesmen, the workers, and all who are a part of restoring our communities. May hearts grow closer to You, Jesus, through these difficult times. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, Peter begins by giving praise to God for the gift of being born again. This new inherited life is our faith that is only found through our salvation in Christ Jesus, and it should be something that each one of us not only treasures but wants to share with everyone we meet.

Our faith is what brings us true joy, the joy of the Lord; but our faith is also what moves us through this world’s trials. Pastor Mary taught about this during yesterday’s heartfelt sermon. She mentioned that Jesus did not die to take away our trials, rather He died to take away our sins, and He wants to use our trials and times of suffering to help others experience His eternal love. She also mentioned that the trials we face are designed to get us ready, ready to help others, and ready for when Jesus returns. Peter reminds us that through our faith, God is protecting us up to when He reveals Himself in the last days for all to see.

Friends, we cannot find ourselves, as believers, in despair, we must find ourselves living by faith and sharing the joy of our salvation and Jesus’s eternal love with EVERYONE!

1 Peter 1:3-9 NLT
The Hope of Eternal Life

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the resurrection in Christ that holds Your promise of the gift of eternal life with You. May our faith and hope in You grow as each one of us faces trials. Please continue to be with everyone who was impacted by Hurricane Helene. Help hearts to see the work of Your Family in the midst of such destruction, and to be drawn to You and to the priceless inheritance of spending eternity with You in heaven. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Today’s devotion picks up from yesterday’s sermon from Pastor Mary. If you were unable to worship with us, or as a reminder, Pastor Mary guided us through another portion of Truth from James in chapter 3, verse 13 through chapter 4, verse 7. Within this passage, James clearly defines the difference between living a faithful life versus living a faithless life. As believers, we should be growing in our faithful life which means growing to reveal more of God’s goodness.

So, how do we grow in God’s goodness?

Well, we humble ourselves as we put the Word of God into our hearts as a guide for our souls, and we do that each day, and we pray. Remember what Pastor Mary said yesterday about humility, it is birthed from the divine wisdom of God. While we are in our daily prayers, we need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, asking Him to impart His humility and wisdom into every aspect of our daily lives. The Holy Spirit wants God’s wisdom to work through us so we are operating in God’s goodness of being pure, peace loving, gentle, and willing to yield to others all of the time.

As we continue with James today, be sure to focus on how he tells us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor” (v. 10). Also, look at how James gives us two additional warnings, or wake-up calls. If we are operating in the Spirit, there is absolutely NO room for us to judge others or for us to be boastful. Keep in mind the Hebrew word for humility that Pastor Mary shared with us yesterday, anavah, which means to occupy your God-given space in the world.

Friends, if we are occupying our God-given space within this world that means we are humbly walking out God’s plan for our lives with His wisdom and not speaking evil or being boastful. We need to think twice today before we allow the enemy any room to move within our hearts or souls and out through our mouths. We belong to Jesus, and we stand firmly against the work of the enemy, today, to try and stifle the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.

James 4:8-17 (NLT)

8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Warning against Judging Others

11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

Warning about Self-Confidence

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Prayer: Jesus, we are so grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit to move within each one of us. Help us to lay down ourselves today, to take on a spirit of humility, as You impart Your wisdom to us. Guide each one of us to be pure, peace loving, gentle, and willing to yield to others all day. We want to look more like You, so put a watch over our mouths and filter everything that comes into our soul realm touches our hearts to be in oneness with You, Jesus. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Every time I write in reference to Psalm 119, I like to remind us, that it contains 176 verses which are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Today’s stanza is titles with the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Taw (tav or taf), which means mark, sign and signature.

Do you believe that you are marked as a servant of God? Let me ask in a different way. Do you believe that when Jesus saved you, He held your heart within His hands, He washed your sins away, He baptized you with His Holy Spirit, and said to all of heaven, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:1-7) and I have a new life for my beloved?

The last verse of Psalm 119 is something you and I, as believers, need to be become very familiar with, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me (Lord Jesus), for I have not forgotten your commands.” These words are a confession of our sin. Words that should come easy to believers. Why? Because we understand what it means to be lost, or in dead living, as we have wondering without Jesus and that is NOT where we want to be. An unbelieving heart or a heart filled with religious righteousness will struggle to confess verse 176. Why? Because they are unaware of their “lostness” or do not want to come out of their “dead living”. They enjoy their sinful way of life. You and I, as active and faithful believers, understand our desperate need to be connected to Jesus, Who is the Word of Life, and that means our thoughts, words, actions, inactions, and hearts must reflect the One Who is the Word, Jesus.

How do we allow the Holy Spirit to operate in and through us, in other words, how do we sanctify our thoughts, speech, actions, etc.? Well, we don’t sanctify ourselves, Jesus does that for us, and verses 169 through 175 point us to what we need to be doing in order to allow the Holy Spirit the room within us to produce sanctified thinking, which then produces sanctified speech, and so on.

We PRAY, we PRAISE, & we EVANGELIZE…wait, Jen…I am not good at evangelizing. Yes, you are! God created each one of us to share His Word, and that is all evangelism is, sharing God’s Word. Don’t over think it, just allow the Holy Spirit to move within you and through you to bring God’s Word, His love, into someone’s heart. Sure, some people will evangelize to groups of people, but others are called to evangelize one-on-one. Just remember to not over think it, allow the Holy Spirit to operate within you and by the Word of God, speak the love of Jesus into someone else’s life TODAY.

Psalm 119:169-176 (NLT)

Taw

169 O Lord, listen to my cry;
give me the discerning mind you promised.

170 Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.

171 Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.

172 Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.

173 Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.

174 O Lord, I have longed for your rescue,
and your instructions are my delight.

175 Let me live so I can praise you,
and may your regulations help me.

176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for being our Sheppard and for coming to save each one of us from our sinful life of dead living. Holy Spirit, be our Guide as we pray, as we praise, and as we share your Word with others. Help us to laid down our insecurities, those places that the enemy seeks to hold us back from praying, praising, and evangelizing. We want to be close with You, and we trust that You will break down those walls that keep us from growing with You. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

The writer of Hebrews starts chapter 11 with the Biblical definition of faith – “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” (v. 1) The writer goes on to mention some of the Great Examples of Faith as seen throughout the Old Testament. “Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” (v. 2) In other words, these biblical “heroes of faith” are called that because of their obedience to God and enduring faith no matter the circumstance, and that was seen as a “good reputation”.

Jesus is the true Hero of Faith. He has the best reputation and is our example of obediently enduring all circumstances, including pain and suffering, so that each one of us can be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life with Him. We must press into our faith, through daily prayer, daily time in God’s Word, and allow God to hold us as we cling to Him in all circumstances so that our faith will not waver.

Today, we are seeking for our faith to grow from the first two verses of chapter 12. First, we see that it directly connects to chapter 11, and our biblical brothers and sisters are a part of the “huge crowd of witnesses”. We know that in order for our faith to grow and firmly last, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, the One Who is the Champion of Faith. We cannot forget that Jesus suffered, so we can expect to suffer. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. (Romans 5:3-5)

I want to leave you with a quote I came across in my studies that touched my heart, “suffering stretches the capacity of our soul for intimacy with God and with other people.” Be blessed today, my friends.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

God’s Discipline Proves His Love

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for stretching our faith. Help each one of us to cling to You more than we ever have. Help us to grow in our time with You, in our trust in You, and in knowing just how much You love each one of us. We do not want to waver in our faith, so guide us, Holy Spirit, today and every day until we see Jesus face-to-face. In Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s devotion, we are learning from one of Paul’s letters to Timothy. Our passage begins at verse 6, but we must not forget that in verses 1 through 5 Paul gives Timothy a great Warning against False Teachers and describes how in the last days people will turn away from the Truth. Paul provided practical steps, so Timothy would be equipped to defend against false teachers. Let’s remember that these instructions were inspired by the Holy Spirit, through Paul, so that Timothy, and all who would read these Words and seek to be A Good Servant of Christ Jesus, would know exactly what to do. Friends, this Word continues to be alive for you and me as we are included within those who want to be A Good Servant of Christ Jesus, so let’s learn more about how we can Talk about Truth, Train in Truth, Be an Example of Truth, and Teach the Truth:

1. Talk about Truth (1 Timothy 4:6) – we know that “all who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.” (1 John 4:15) Thus, we must pray for wisdom and discernment, and stay rooted in the Word every single day, so that we speak the Truth – led by the Spirit, and in one accord with the teachings of Christ.
2. Train in Truth (1 Timothy 4:7) – we know that the ungodly motives (sin) of this world clashes with God’s heart. Thus, we are not to waste time arguing with the world’s ideas, rather we need to ask the Spirit to grow us to have more of a heart like Jesus as we seek to be one with Christ and living by His Word. (Matthew 11:27-30)
3. Be an Example of Truth (1 Timothy 4:12) – we are called to be an example of Christ, as a light to the world. Jesus calls us to let our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise our Heavenly Father, as the light points to Him. (Matthew 5:14-16)
4. Teach the Truth (1 Timothy 4:13-16) – God calls each of us ministers, or holy priests, and that does not mean that everyone needs to stand at the pulpit on a Sunday morning and preach, rather we are all called into “ministry” to minister the Word of God into the lives of those whom God has placed within our care and path. We are also called to live a life that is holy and blameless, so to set an example of how a Christ follower lives. Each of us are called to be “ministers” in different “relationship” that God divinely places along our path (some as children, parents, grandparents, siblings, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, bosses, students, teachers, missionaries, caregivers, volunteers, acquaintances, passerby, counselors, mentors, pastors, etc.). Regardless of our ministry, God knows exactly where each one of us are and He is seeking to use us to share about His Son’s love and how through His Son each of us are offered forgiveness and eternal life (1 Peter 2:5, 9).

1 Timothy 4:6-16 (NLT)
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

6 If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. 7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.

11 Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. 12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 13 Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15 Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that shines a light on Truth for each of our lives. Please continue to guide us with Your wisdom as You lead us to talk more about You and as each one of us grow to know more about You. Thank You, Jesus, for the places that You have, are, and will call each one of us into ministry. Holy Spirit, please be our guide, as we cannot minister without You and Your Truth. Father, please allow each one of us to discern false teachings, as You keep us close to You and under the mantal of Pastor Mary Haley who teaches Your Word and does not stray from Your Truth. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

When I’ve written in reference to Psalm 119 in the past, I have mentioned that it contains 176 verses that are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Today’s stanza is titles with the Hebrew letter, Mem, which means the water of wisdom, knowledge, the Torah.

It represents both water and the ability to dive deep into God’s wisdom. Every person should hunger and thirst for the wisdom of God, but that wisdom can only be found within the Word of the Creator because He alone is our Living Water, He is the Torah, and He is our Bread of Life.

During yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary reminded us that when we came to Christ through salvation, He redeemed our spirit from our sins. Now that we are saved and walking out our salvation with Christ, we must seek a closer relationship with Him so that we can allow Him to continue to redeem our souls (our minds, wills, and emotions). We do this by feeding on the Word of God each and every day. You and I cannot expect to grow in God’s wisdom if we are not consuming His Word. We must bow before Almighty God, each day, and “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)

Psalm 119:97-104 (NLT)

Mem

97 Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.
99 Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.
100 I am even wiser than my elders,
for I have kept your commandments.
101 I have refused to walk on any evil path,
so that I may remain obedient to your word.
102 I haven’t turned away from your regulations,
for you have taught me well.
103 How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.
104 Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for redeeming us. We want to grow in our individual and collective relationships with You. Holy Spirit, help each one of us to be motivated in our spirit to remain in Your Word every day. Guide us by Your wisdom to see with our spiritual eyes what You want us to see, to hear with our spiritual ears what You want us to hear and touch our spiritual hearts to know where You want us to go. We want to be willing vessels for You, Jesus, and we know that we do that by submitting to You and growing in our relationship with You. Thank You for growing us up. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Throughout the book of Acts, the Apostle Luke helps us to understand the early days of the church. Last Thursday, Pastor Mary’s devotion guided us through the second part of Acts 6, with verses 8 through 15. Today, we are going back to the first part of Acts 6 and looking at verses 1 through 7. Keep in mind what Pastor Mary already shared as it directly connects to today’s passage. We are to “feed” off of the Bread of Life, Jesus, and allow His Spirit to fill our souls, spirit, and body by His Word. With His Word, we are to seek God’s holy wisdom as a guide for our lives, because only then are we divinely given the ability to remain in a place of love (His love) no matter how others treat us. We must call on the Holy Spirit to make us mindful of our responses to others, asking that our hearts remain sensitive, and that our souls remain humble with each righteous response that the Spirit provides through us. “Since God chose you (and me) to be the holy people He loves, you (and I) must clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Making allowances for each other’s faults and forgiving others who offend you (and me). Remembering, that the Lord forgave you (and me), so you (and I) must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:12-13)

In today’s passage, we see that the early church was growing as believers were rapidly multiplying. We also see that there were two distinct “groups”, the Hellenists and the Hebrews. The Hellenists were complaining about the Hebrews, because they believed “their” widows were being treated unfairly and discriminated against. When you stop and think about it, today’s church is not much different from the early church. Far too often God’s Family (His Church) becomes divided into “groups” when that shouldn’t happen because we are called to be One Body with Christ as the head (1 Cor 12). The division happens because believers start to feed on the world’s “food” instead of allowing God’s food, the Word, which is perfect, to fill, sustain, and guide us. Since the world’s “food” is fleeting, we see that even believers will complain and point fingers at others because of fear. When we “feed” on this world’s food, Satan creeps in and fills us with fear. Satan’s fear seeks to rob us of the trust we should firmly have rooted in Jesus, and that fear branches off into doubt, anger, and all areas of sin.

Next, in our passage, we see that the twelve apostles call a meeting of “all” believers. Here, and for a moment, we witness the Church (God’s Family) living out the Word and working as One Body. Notice, that scripture doesn’t say that any of the apostles started yelling and pointing fingers at anyone, rather scripture says that they came together and worked in the Spirit seeking wisdom and prayed over the decisions made by Spirit and through the entire Family.

We know from Pastor Mary’s devotion on Thursday that this moment is short lived, as Stephen is arrested. However, go back and read over those verses again, because even though the enemy is speaking lies about Stephen, he stands firmly on the Word of God and speaks the Truth. Stephen is determined to share the righteous “food”, the Bread of Life, Jesus, with anyone who will listen, and even in the midst of what is his greatest trial on this side of heaven, as is believed that Stephen was the first Christian martyr.

Acts 6:1-7 (NLT)

Seven Men Chosen to Serve

1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being our Bread of Life. Help each one of us to keep feeding on Your Word. We do not want what this world has to offer. We want You, Jesus. Keep us knitted together as Your Family, working as One Body with You guiding us, Jesus. May our faith be like Stephen’s faith. May we be filled with You, Holy Spirit, and covered by Your grace. I ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

On Friday, Pastor Mary used the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians (and to us) as a reminder in her devotion that “We Harvest What We Plant” (6:1-10). Remember, we must align ourselves with the principles and commands of God, because He is the Holy Standard for the seeds that we choose to plant. Today, we are going to continue with Paul, but pick back up from last Monday when he wrote to the church in Ephesus (and to us). Please don’t miss it, this message of “Living in the Light” is directly connected to Paul’s message about what we plant we will reap in a harvest.

At the end of Ephesians 4, Paul instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (v. 31-32). Paul wants us to know that there is a clear contrast between light and dark, in other words, good and evil, and it all boils down to the choices we have in everything. You and I either choose God or we choose Satan. We must remember that we cannot serve both. In Matthew 6, we are reminded that no one can serve two masters (meaning both God and Satan), for we will hate one and love the other, we will be devoted to one and despise the other (v. 24). Thus, God gives us the freewill to choose, either Him or Satan.

Friends, we will never be perfect while we are in this earthly realm, but we need to keep choosing to live in God’s light and move further and further away from living in Satan’s darkness of sin. When we do sin, we have a responsibility to immediately cry out for forgiveness, to turn away from that sin, to seek prayer with others to cast down that strong hold, and to ask the Lord for the guidance of His Holy Spirit to move us past that sin and deeper into our relationship with Jesus. Remember, we can’t keep going back to sin, we must be a willing and active participant in our faith walk to move forward in our relationship with Jesus each and every day. If we choose sin, Paul tells us that God’s anger will fall on all who are disobedient. The chose is either: light, which reflects God’s holiness or darkness which reflects Satan’s evilness. It does not matter how much we try to hide our sin, God knows, and He wants nothing more than for us to willingly turn it over to Jesus, and to awaken us from our dead living with Satan.

Ephesians 5:1-14 (NLT)

Living in the Light

1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for taking our sins with You to the cross. Please forgive us, Lord, when we sin, because we know that we are sinning against You, and we need Your forgiveness and guidance so we can turn away from sinning. We want to keep growing closer and closer to You, Jesus, and so we stand against the sin in our lives that seeks to keep us from that closeness with You. Holy Spirit, please guide each one of us away from our old sinful ways and away from any darkness that seeks to harm us. Quicken our hearts to press into Your Word, Jesus, and may Your Truth ring loudly and our spiritual ears hear it clearly. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

When the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he begins in chapters 1 – 3 to teach believers about our new lives as the children of God: how we are forgiven, adopted into God’s Family, we are redeemed from the slavery of sin, loved by God, strengthened with His power, and we are recipients of the riches of Christ Jesus.

Paul continues in chapter 4 to urges us, as believers, to walk in unity in our new way of life and as the Body of Christ. Paul wants us to be equipped as the Church, or as the Body of Christ, to be able to work together as one in Christ Jesus as we utilize the gifts Christ has given us so we can do His work and build up His Church. “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son (Jesus) that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (v. 11-13)

As we seek for “Unity in the Body” (v.1-16) each of us must no longer live as “Gentiles”. This means that we must completely let our old sinful lives go and live out our new lives of salvation. Within this place we are living as Christ’s Word teaches us to live, and as Christ Himself lived as the walking example for our walking lives. We must allow the Holy Spirit to guide our souls (our minds, wills, and emotions), otherwise, this world and Satan will fill our souls with darkness, harden our hearts against the Trust, and cloud our judgement to operate against the Word. If the world and Satan guide us, we will not have shame and we will live our lives for this world in lust, pleasure, deception, and impurity. Let’s keep our new nature on and allow the Word of Christ to flow in, through, and out of us, just as we were created to be like God, Himself, Who is righteous and holy.

Ephesians 4:17-24 (NLT)
Living as Children of Light

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the Head of our Body, Your Church. Help us, Lord, to work together to grow in our faith, as Your Church, so that we can mature in You, and work to grow Your Kingdom. Help each one of us, Your Church, to continue to be guided by Your Word. Holy Spirit, please continue to renew our thoughts and attitudes. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.