Good day dear friends. We prayed yesterday for all our travelers. Our university group had gone to a Wesley Foundation conference in Oklahoma and they braved icy roads back home and arrived just as our Sunday night class was letting out. Our UMYF group had been in Leakey, Texas, for a midwinter senior high retreat and they braved icy Hill Country roads to return home safely as well. Thanks to all of you who were praying for their safe return.
What a cold day it was yesterday! It's cold at this writing. 36o and with a high expected at about 52! Many braved the cold to be in church and we celebrate five new members who joined our church during Coffee with the Pastor! We'll present them next Sunday. We had two Winter Texans who just wanted to know more about the church and will continue visiting with us while parked down the road from us.
Our sermon was the second in a series of three regarding our mission statement and we covered "Preparing God's People for Works of Service." The focus was on living out our faith and the best way to do that is to be constantly praying and studying and relying on God to help us receive all we need to faithfully serve. The text for the sermon came from James' letter, chapter 2:14-20.
To help us get deeper in the word here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Sunday’s sermon was to emphasize how important it is for us to be prepared to do good. For today’s devotional time, let’s go to a passage in Acts 9:1-19. Read there the story of the young man converted to Christ, who spend a significant time in preparation. Find those passages within the text that mention preparation. Notice how the first passage mentions a time of fasting. Are you familiar with that practice? Do you practice fasting on a regular basis? Please note that this Wednesday I’m asking the church be in prayer and fasting for our readiness for ministry. That means to ask God to prepare us all to faithfully respond to His leading in all situations.
Here is that text:
"9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Anani'as. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Anani'as." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." 11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tar'sus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Anani'as come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Anani'as answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Anani'as went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus."
The young man in question is Saul (aka Paul) of Tarsus. In terms of his preparation, he was a Rabbi, lawyer, prosecutor, and well-connected. He secures permission to arrest any Christians in Damascus and while on his way there had a near-life encounter with Jesus. His willingness to follow Jesus brought Saul to a new life. Verse nine tells us that for three days he neither ate nor drank anything. This was his time of prayer and fasting, first steps in preparation. While in prayer the Lord was showing Paul all he was to do and suffer for the Lord's sake and still Paul said yes, he would go. And after receiving his sight back, he was baptized; another step in preparation, and spent some days with the disciples learning about his new faith in Christ. He then traveled to Jerusalem to learn more from the original disciples and after spending time with them went to Tarsus to continue his preparation.
But where would Saul/Paul have been had he not prayed nor fasted? Both prayer and fasting are important first steps in any work of the Lord, yet we tend to overlook both with fasting being something that many Protestants don't practice. Fasting is denying ourselves of something physical in order for the spiritual to be made more real for us. If we give up a mealtime, we should spend that time we would have been eating in prayer. The spiritual nourishment takes the place of the physical and strengthens us. Please remember if you must eat or have a physical condition that requires food, you can fast by giving up something other than food. You can give up time spent listening to music or watching television and allow instead that time to be spent reading God's word. Whatever you give up in the physical replace with the spiritual. Remember we said reflection is a part of prayer and so it is with fasting as well. We let God have His turn in speaking to us.
For today resolve to be prepared for a day of fasting on Wednesday. Spend some time today in prayer asking God to reveal in your life what it is that He would have you do.
PRAYER: Come, Lord God, speak to me today. Let me see clearly Your plan and vision for my life. Make me willing to serve you. Help me to better prepare myself for Your service. I pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
