Author: judyinthesky91

Daily Word

Acts 24

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Read Acts 24 – Some people are so open-minded their brains fall out! 

I don’t know where I heard that expression, but it certainly applies to Governor Felix.  Through his time with Paul, he learned about Jesus.  His heart had a curiosity.  He kept Paul safe and permitted his friends to visit and care for him for two years.  He, himself, sent for Paul frequently. 

Doesn’t Governor Felix sound like a nice person?  Doesn’t he sound like an open-minded, worldly person?  Yet in the end he did not act on the information given.  He did not accept Christ.  He simply left Paul in prison for another to decide – all for the favor of men. 

Felix’s life was stuck in this world.  He heard the Good News.  He heard wisdom and logic, and yet he rejected Jesus by his inactivity.  Beloved, we all know people like Felix.  Polite people who ask good questions and seem to listen, but in the end, simply turn away.  We know that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (see Philippians 2:10-11)  There is one road to heaven and it is narrow (See Matthew 7 and Luke 13).  Beloved, don’t let these people discourage you.  Answer their questions, God’s Word never returns void… It could be the timing, and your “Felix” will process your answers years later, perhaps someone on the periphery is hearing, or perhaps God is building you up with the sharing of your faith.   Keep the good faith, my beloved. 📖🗨🧏‍♀️☝🧏‍♂️💬📖

Daily Word

Acts 23

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Read Acts 23 – See God’s hand of protection beyond the detail. 

The details are bad.  Paul is on trial.  The Jews are against him.  The Politicians are curious, but don’t want the responsibility.  Discouragement would be understandable, but for God’s hand of protection…

Beloved, as you read, try to imagine being in Paul’s shoes, there was no earthly reason for him to have hope, but for Jesus, there was hope.  See Paul hold his ground when the High Priest wants him slapped, :3.  Yet when he is informed that he was speaking to the High Priest, he honors the Word of God and apologizes, :5.  Paul is sharp to recognize the division between his accusers, and use it to his advantage.  The commander sees the escalation and the soldiers are once again called in to rescue him, :10.  The Lord appeared to Paul that very night with encouragement! (:11).   The Jews form a plot to kill Paul, and bind themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until he is dead.  I wonder how they justified themselves when they failed?  Paul’s nephew overheard the plan and tipped the commander, who then sent Paul to Caesarea to meet with Governor Felix. 

Beloved, rest in the fact that God’s love is unfailing.  You may be up against humanly insurmountable odds, but Jesus’s plan and purpose will always prevail.

Daily Word

Acts 22

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Read Acts 22 – We left off with Paul, having been rescued from the chants of, “Kill him!  Kill him!” (21:36), on the steps, addressing the angry crowd. 

Paul speaks in the Hebrew dialect to the Jewish crowd, and silence washes over them.  He tells his story, his testimony, who he was, where he came from, the encounter with Jesus that changed everything, and what he was to do with it. 

The crowd must have been captivated because Paul speaks fluidly for 21 verses… but that 21st verse:  “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’’ That sent them over the edge, and the riot started back up.  The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him whipped to coerce a confession as to why the crowds were so agitated.  But Paul uses his Roman citizenship for immunity.  Nobody better mess with a Roman citizen.  The commander knew it; he paid a great price to obtain his, but even greater,  Paul was a citizen by birth(:28). 

Beloved, there is so much to learn about God and his purpose for you in these verses.  The Lord knew Paul before he was born and used every event in Paul’s life for His divine purposes – and the same is true for you.  Paul gave his testimony.  Beloved, your testimony is irrefutable.  It’s yours.  You may feel ill equipped with Scripture references, yet, your story is yours to display God’s gracious, merciful, saving love.  Now, who can you tell today?😍🙌🙏💖🙏🙌😍

Daily Word

Acts 21

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Read Acts 21 – I remember being pregnant. (my son teased me and said I lost my entire make audience with this opener. Stay with me, Gents!) It was such an incredible time, filled with joy at the creation taking place inside me, and dreams of what my little girl, then my little boy, would be like.  But delivery bewildered me.  How was this giant baby going to come out?  I knew women much weaker than me did it – and did it more than once – but logically, it was a scary thought!  I see a similarity in Paul’s purpose.  He has the beautiful Gospel to share, yet many prophets tell him it will be difficult for him in Jerusalem.  He will be bound.  He will be turned over to the Gentiles.  The believers begged him not to go, :11-12.  Paul accepted that he was risking jail and even death, but it was for the sake of the Lord Jesus, and he would not be persuaded otherwise. 

Beloved, don’t let hard things scare you away from doing whatever the Lord lays on your heart to do. 

Sure enough, Paul arrives in Jerusalem and meets with James and all the elders of the Jerusalem church.  He gives a detailed account to them, and I found myself wondering if this was the very account that Luke used to write Acts.  (21:19) 

Paul soon gets arrested, a riot ensues, and that is where he gets his platform to address the crowd with the Roman commander’s protection… Our chapter ends with that cliffhanger.   The Bible is exciting! I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow – 😍☝💯

Daily Word

Acts 20

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Read Acts 20 – It’s like a divine scavenger hunt.  Did you discover the miracle?  The treasure? The drive?  The blessing? 

First, Paul is saying goodbye to the believers in Troas, and no one wants the preaching to end.  He goes on until midnight.  One believer, Eutychus, was lulled to sleep, causing him to fall to his death from the 3rd story.  Paul took him into his arms and declared, “Don’t worry.  He is alive,” :10.  And sure enough the man was taken home, alive and well, :12.  MIRACLE! 

Paul moves on the next day by land and sea to Ephesus.  There he declares the message, simply and clearly:  “I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike – the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.”  :21.  Beloved, that is the TREASURE! 

And Paul speaks about his hardships, and the fact that he provided for himself, and he is glad for it because he knows he represented Jesus full and well.  “I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know,” :26-27.  DRIVE! 

And Paul leaves them with this assurance:  “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself,” :32.  And that, Beloved, is the BLESSING! 

My prayer for all of us is that we see these things in Acts 20, and that we see these things in our own lives as well.  Beloved, be aware and alive to the miracles, treasure, drive and blessings that are all part of a life lived for Jesus our Savior!

Daily Word

Acts 19

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Read Acts 19 – Paul is on his third missionary journey. 

Let’s recall that Paul was a Pharisee; he would have known the Torah by heart (that is the first 5 books of the Old Testament).  He had a unique and dramatic conversion to Christianity by Jesus; and it is estimated that he spent about 10 years getting solid in his faith before his first missionary journey. 

Early in my walk with Jesus, I felt so inadequate.  I wanted to share like Paul, but I didn’t know God’s Word so well.  My friend reminded me that Paul didn’t just walk out of the house on Straight Street (Acts 9:11) and set sail.  The Holy Spirit took his time preparing him. 

Beloved, that same Holy Spirit is walking this journey within you as well.  You may not be aware of all he is preparing you for, just trust that Jesus has your life in his hand and you are important in your own way for the work he designed you for. 

…And now a little highlight from our passage:  Sometimes obstacles will attack your faith that have nothing to do with you. 

In verses :23-41 there is an encounter stirred up by a silversmith named Demetrius.  He manufactures silver shrines for the Greek goddess, Artemis, and Paul preached that handmade god’s weren’t really gods at all, :26.  Demetrius presented his greed as false concern for Artemis, and gathered a riot against Paul and those with him.  The town was thrown into confusion.  In fact, most of them didn’t know why they were there, :33.  The mayor is able to halt the frenzy with a call to logic.  This is a matter for the courts, not mob justice. 

Beloved, when revival comes, the devil is also at work to kill, steal and destroy. Expect opposition from strange places when you are walking out your faith.💪🤺🙏💖🙏💪

Daily Word

Acts 18

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Read Acts 18 – Jesus meets people on the most ironic avenues. 

Paul leaves Athens and goes to Corinth (later he will write letters to them as recorded in 1st and 2nd Corinthians).  There he meets a couple named Aquila and Priscilla who arrived from Italy because Claudius Caesar deported all the Jews from Rome, :1-3. Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, lived and worked together because they were all three tentmakers.  

Beloved, not all kingdom work takes place in church.  You may find yourself surfing or at a coffee house or at work… any number of places… only to discover it’s right where God wants you… you don’t even have to take up tent-making. 

Paul gets a vision from the Lord, telling him, “Don’t be afraid!  Speak out!  Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.”(:9-10)  He remained there teaching for about 18 months until a little reality tv breaks out, :12-17.  The courtroom scene was almost comical, right? 

Beloved, with God on your side there is nothing to fear. 

Some time after that, Paul sets out on another missionary journey with Aquila and Priscilla, :18.  The Jews in Ephesus asked Paul to stay on teaching, he declined, but left the others behind.  An eloquent, well studied, Jew named Apollos begins teaching about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit in Ephesus.  Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and explained things even further, and Apollos went on to be a great benefit to furthering the Gospel. 

Beloved, shine where you are – for Paul and Apollos, it was under the spotlight – for Aquila and Priscilla, it was in using their hospitality and mentorship to come alongside others, guarding the Gospel from the sidelines.  “Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, will shine like the stars forever.”  Daniel 12:3

Daily Word

Acts 17

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Read Acts 17 – Courageous, discerning and wise… these are some of the traits Paul, Silas, Timothy, Jason and the believers in Thessalonica, Berea and Athens illustrated.  May I confess?  I came to Christ as a skeptical non-believer.  I thought Christians were the exact opposite of what we read about here.  I had questions with an underlying sneer of superiority.  Paul reached out to people like me in these places.  He risked and suffered greatly to get the Truth out. 

I love what he discovered in Berea, people who were eager for truth and searched the Scriptures daily to see if things were as Paul said, :11.  Many believed, but the haters from Thessalonica learned this; they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds, :13. 

The believers escorted Paul to Athens.  There he walked about town and saw all kinds of statues commemorating various gods.  He even saw one dedicated to the unknown god, and that was an open door.  Verse :23 shows us how he met the locals where they were at and introduced Jesus.  It’s a beautiful, wise and honoring way to help his audience receive the Good News.  The mission was highly successful, and good seeds were planted. 

Beloved, do you still have questions?  What is in the way of your whole and complete surrender?  Nothing is grounded in truth like Jesus.  The bible can stand up to your questions because it is God’s true Word.  And when you find yourself on solid ground, tell others!

Daily Word

Acts 16

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Read Acts 16 – Meet Timothy, Lydia and the jailer, and see how God meets us where we are at. 

Timothy is a highly respected believer, son of a Jewish mother and Greek father.  Did you find it odd that Paul circumcised him just one chapter after it was determined that circumcision wasn’t necessary?  This was done as an act of love to the Jews.  They knew Timothy’s father was Greek, therefore, Timothy would not have been circumcised, and the Jews wouldn’t have received him.  This was a “know your audience” thing. Later Paul would write, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”  1 Corinthinians 9:22b. 

They journey with Silas, and notice how the Lord directs their path.  He keeps them out of Asia and Bithynia, and directs them to Macedonia.  Check it out on a map if you can; it is quite a journey. 

In Macedonia they are directed to a place by the river for prayer on the Sabbath, :13.  This hints at the fact there would not have been a Temple in town. But despite this, there is a gathering of women with hearts for God.  One woman in particular is Lydia.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Pauls message, and she and her household were baptized.  She persuaded Paul and company to stay at her house.  Lydia was a woman of strong character, persuasion and means. 

Read on to meet the slave with a spirit of divination, who harrasses Paul and company for days.  That encounter leads to their arrest, and another miracle, and more souls saved – all for God’s glory! 

Beloved, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 16 as much as I did!  To me it says our past doesn’t matter.  It is never too late to become brand new.  It says that things that aren’t fair – like Paul and Silas’s beating and arrest – may happen, but Jesus has purpose that far outweighs the earthly pain.

Daily Word

Acts 15

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Read Acts 15 – Disagreement does not negate the faith. 

Disagreement over circumcision breaks out between some men from Antioch and Paul and Barnabas.  The church decided to send them all to Jerusalem, so they could go before the apostles. This is important and both sides have passionate arguments for their view.  Notice that both were willing to pursue the matter to resolve. 

Together, they did come to resolve, deciding the most basic tenets for the new believers are to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. 

Beloved, be willing to work things out, take them to church leadership if you must, but work towards resolve.  There was great joy for the Gentile believers as they read this encouraging message. (15:1-31) 

Paul, Barnabas, Judas and Silas stayed on encouraging and strengthening the Antioch believers for some time.  Down the road Paul and Barnabas decided to return to the cities where they had preached to see how the believers were doing, but they came to a personal disagreement as to bringing John Mark along.  Scripture does not indicate favor for either side, but records they decided to split.  Barnabas took John Mark to Cypress, and Paul took Silas to strengthen the churches throughout Syria and Cilicia.

Beloved, this division did not lead to resolve between the men, but it did lead to God’s glory in that they reached more places than they would have together.  Is God calling you to something different?  What’s holding you back?