[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation="zoomIn"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today’s readings.. (Deuteronomy 17), (Ecclesiastes 9), (Acts 8)

 This was the question Philip asked the Ethiopian Eunuch; he was one of the seven appointed to assist the 12 disciples (Acts 6 v.2,4); Stephen who was killed was also one of them.

“An angel of the Lord” (8 v.26) caused Philip to go up and meet with this Ethiopian as he was returning from worshipping in Jerusalem.(v.28} which shows he was a genuine God fearing man – and as he travelled, he was reading God’s word and puzzling over a person he was reading about in the book of Isaiah who was “like a lamb before its shearer is silent … in his humiliation justice was denied him.  Who can describe his generation?  For his life is taken away from the earth.” [v.32,33] 

He asks Philip, “Does the prophet say this about himself or about someone else?” [v.34] Philip explains, “beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.”   The whole world has now been given the whole of the word of God – all 66 books of it, in just about every language. Remember what Jesus said; “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12 v.48)  

People in the ancient world were challenged by the faith of Noah in the huge ark he and his sons built over many years!  Does the word of God really challenge us?  It did when it was first printed! Let us read some of it every day – and our understanding will grow and – like the Eunuch, we will start to think and to ask, “What prevents me from being baptised?” [v.37]  And if we are already baptised and have experienced the feeling he did after his baptism in “going on his way rejoicing” [v.39] we will find less and less to rejoice about in much of what we do in this world.. 

We will relate to words in Peter’s 1^st letter.  He said that genuine believers “by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now, for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith … may be found to result in praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” [1 v.5-7] 

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation="zoomIn"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today’s readings.. (Deuteronomy 16), (Ecclesiastes 78), (Acts 7)

 We all have memories; bad things we try to shut out of our memory, good things we try to retain and bring to the fore.  We read today how Moses told the people to look back on; “all the days of your life (that) you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt” [Deut. 16 v.3]  The Passover Feast was set up to aid that memory, to cement it into their consciousness.  Most of the generation that had experienced the miraculous deliverance had failed to do that and had died in the wilderness because of their faithlessness.  Now Moses is delivering the message to the next generation; whose leaders had been teenagers and children at that time.

Today’s chapter details the feasts they are to keep when they start living in the promised land. As well as remembering the actual deliverance, through the Passover feast, there are 3 other feasts associated with farming the land and the reward of harvesting.  This they would experience for the first time in their lives. The key lesson is they are not to “appear before the LORD empty handed.  Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD” [v.16-17].  

Verse 20 has another blunt ‘punch line’ message, “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

Now we consider our own journey in life, how close are we to the climax of all that God has prepared for all those who truly believe in and love Him?   Is the crossing of the Jordan close at hand for us?

We must face up to today’s challenges and make sure we “escape all the things that are going to take place” [Luke 21 v,36] as the Almighty prepares to cleanse the earth of its’ evil.  Let us “remember the day” when we made the commitment to join the Lord’s side and accepted his “deliverance” by being baptised.   If you have not yet experienced such a day – ask yourself – very seriously – why?  Don’t let “that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” [Luke 21 v.34] so that you fail to enter a far greater “promised land”. 

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation="zoomIn"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today’s readings.. (Deuteronomy 15), (Ecclesiastes 7), (Acts 5,6)

Solomon’s reminiscences in Ecclesiastes are in one sense a continuation of Proverbs.  Several times in today’s chapter (7) he contemplates ways of living and asks “What is better?” and makes observations which do not always provide a clear answer, but they do provoke our thinking. 

The chapter begins, “A good name is better than precious ointment” which leads us to recall the valuable ointment used to anoint Jesus and those who only thought of its wasted value.  How important is it to make a good name (reputation) for yourself?  Very important, but make sure it is a good reputation in God’s eyes.

Verse 5, “It is better for a person to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.”  In so many ways this world is filled with the latter – but some, maybe many young people, would see Solomon as wrong!  We ponder the state of mind that reaches that conclusion   “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit” [v.8].   But when “the end of a thing” is not good, some positive thinking is needed to draw out the lessons for doing better in the future.    

Solomon laments, “In my vain life I have seen everything” [v.15] We usually do not appreciate how some things are “vain” until we get to a mature age. Some modern versions translate this as –  the pointlessness of life; but what does one really achieve in life that is of lasting value?  There are some things: but we recall Solomon’s attitude when he had accomplished everything that he had set his mind to physically achieve (Ch. 2 v.1-11) that it was all “a striving after wind.”

At the end of Ecclesiastes he writes, “The preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.  The words of the wise are like goads, like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one shepherd.” [12 v.10,11] 

In the New Testament we have the ultimate “good shepherd” yet those who came before him, such as David and Solomon, provoke much worthwhile thought.  The last verse of today’s chapter says, “this alone I found, that God made man upright”   “but now we have twisted minds” (CEV)

Let us make sure our minds are untwisted by reading and reflecting on God’s word every day. 

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation="zoomIn"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today’s readings.. (Deuteronomy 13,14), (Ecclesiastes 6), (Acts 3,4)

     In contrast to his denial of his Lord on the night of his arrest Peter is now possessed of total conviction and power.  He and John heal a man who is more than 40 years old and lame from birth who was “laid daily at the gate of the Temple … to ask alms” [Acts 3 v.2]  Everyone who frequented the temple knew him, he had never walked!  His healing resulted in him entering “the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him … and they were filled with wonder and amazement…” [v.8-10]

     As a result, “all the people ran together to them … astounded.” [v.11]  This gave Peter a wonderful opportunity to tell them it was through Jesus “whom God raised from the dead … by faith in his name – has made this man strong” [v.15,16] This was the cause of this incredible healing, Peter’s total faith and God given power… 

     Peter then says, “and now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your rulers …” [v.17]    So many things are done out of ignorance, many are wilfully ignorant!  But such is the tendency in human nature that there is no genuine awareness – and resultant awe – of God – and His son. Today the refusal to believe in God is the result of wilful belief that we are just the highest form of evolved life that needed no designer and creator. 

     Peter’s challenge to them is the same challenge as his words make to all people today!   “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom the heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of the holy prophets long ago.” [v.19-21]

     If you fail to “turn again” and be baptised – you are telling God you prefer to remain “in ignorance.”  But it is better to remain that way if we have no conviction about how these events turned the people and nations of nearly 2,000 years ago upside down in their thinking. The conviction of Peter and others led them to “speak the word of God with all boldness” [4 v.31]  How can we claim today we have “acted in ignorance” in whatever decision we make!? 

     The last verse of our Ecclesiastes reading (ch. 6) puts the matter frankly, “For who knows what is good for a man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow?”   Then, as we will read in 9 v.5 “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward …” unless they respond to the message of God through such as Peter “that times of refreshing” will come at “the time for restoring all things” at the return of Christ.  Let us admit – we are not making our decision – one way or the other – “in ignorance”

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation="zoomIn"][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today’s readings.. (Deuteronomy 12), (Ecclesiastes 5), (Acts 2)

  Our chapter in Acts (2) contains the dramatic message of the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost.  This day is the same as the Old Testament “Feast of Weeks” (Exod.34 v.22; Lev.23 v.15,16]  ‘Pentecost’ is the Greek word for ‘fiftieth’ – it occurred 50 days (7 weeks) after the Passover, it was at the start of harvesting.  

    The climax of Peter’s message is to declare to those assembled, from a vast range of countries, the great significance of what had happened at the Passover.  These people, obviously Jews, had come from a vast range of places to worship – it is evident they had not been there for the week or weekend as happens these days. 

     At Passover time the jealous Priests had whipped these visitors (and others) into a frenzy to reject Jesus as a false Messiah.  Remember that in the “forty days” (Acts 1 v.3) after Jesus’ resurrection Jesus was only appearing to his followers. The last 2 chapters of John we have just read illustrated this was not on a daily basis.  Paul was aware there was one occasion when “he appeared to 500 brothers at one time” [1 Cor 15 v.6]  We can reasonably imagine that all sorts of what would be called today, ‘unconfirmed reports’ were in circulation.

     What an impact the ability to speak in other languages would have had! The “mighty works of God” [v.11] were being declared to each in their own language.  Peter brings his speech to a climax, declaring, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” [v.36]   

     A great many of the hearers were “cut to the heart” [v.37] They “said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do?” and are told, “Repent and be baptised … save yourselves from this crooked generation.  So those who received his word were baptised …” [v.40,41] about 3,000 of them.

     What is it to “receive” the message?  It is a very common word in the Greek, the repentant thief on the cross with Jesus acknowledged, “we are receiving the due reward of our sins” [Luke 23 v.41] The Gk word is often translated as “accept”   Paul was told when he returned to Jerusalem, “”make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly , because they will not accept your testimony about me.” [Acts 22 v.18]  Today, the main attitude is either scoffing or indifference.  Few are like those of Berea who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” [Acts 17 v.11] How have you “received” God’s word, what effect is it having in your life?

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