How you doin? My Aunt
Paula is in the hospital. She is being treated for diverticulitis.
She's getting IV antibiotic. Hopefully (expectantly) she'll be getting
better as the Dr.'s co-labor with Christ to heal her. Please be praying
for her wellness. Acts 28 today.
Sad to be
finishing Acts. What a book. Then again I think this about every book in
the Bible. Paul's final statement sounds to me like prophecy. Prophecy
that I believe is for me. Verse 28, “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
The part that gets me is "and they will listen". God has encouraged me
and instructed me to hear Him, listen to Him, and pat attention to Him
in a HUGE way. God, being present future, is establishing my process. In
the past I didn't/haven't listen to God whats so ever. I'm just now
learning to hear Him. But it doesn't stop there. While reading the Old
Testament, I clearly heard Gods plea for the Jews to hear Him, listen to
Him, and to pay attention to Him. As Paul points out the words of
Isaiah in verses 26-27 the Jews had "calloused" hearts. Callouses are
hard or hardened skin. So they had hardened hearts. I can't help but to
feel the fullness of God's grace when I read these verses. To think of
being "ever hearing but never understanding" and "ever seeing but never
perceiving" is gut wrenching. To have a "calloused" heart and closed
eyes is as bad. The sentence in verse 27 sounds like a much better
option, "Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’" I love that God tells me that I'll
listen to Him. It allows me to have hope in my ability to follow Him and
to have an intimate relationship with Him. That's a good word. I'll
take the advice I received 9.5 years ago in AA "take the cotton out of
your ears and put it in your mouth". Listen in your prayers today.
PS The last verse in Acts is AWESOME!!!!!!! "He
proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus
Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!" WOW!!!!!!! I truly feel
blessed to have ears to hear, eyes to see, and the willingness/desire
to pay attention to Him. I also feel His grace and favor to share the
good news... that the Kingdom of heaven is near. COME ON!!!!!!!!
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