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Hear this devotional read by the author here: https://bit.ly/2L1TyX5
55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:55-60 RSV)
Happy Wednesday, Friend. I pray this finds you well and enjoying being alive! I know we all have had our moments of frustration and/or doubt, but overall, God is still in His throne and very much in control. And, these scriptures have blessed us with that hope, so I pray you will be blessed in reading this, and you will feel free to share it with others. I heard yesterday from my seminary roommate, who very much believes as I do, that his time of quarantine has exposed more people to the Gospel than in days before it all got started. I believe revival is coming!
Being with loved ones as they approach the gates of life is never easy, but some have been wonderful blessings. The one I will never forget was when my mother-in-law knew her fight against cancer was coming to an end, and while she and Nellie were all alone, she said, "My daughter, I am not afraid because I see Jesus with His arms outstretched, and I've talked to Him, and I know he is waiting for me." And almost immediately, she passed from this life into the arms of Jesus. Nellie had shared her faith with her mother and she was always open to hearing more about God and God's love. I have been blessed to have had new members to my church thank me right before their death because they now knew where they were going and they were not afraid, but very ready.
Stephen was the first person to die for his faith in Jesus. He was found guilty of being a believer in Jesus Christ. He was sentenced to death because of that faith. To his credit, he was able to preach a powerful sermon testifying to the love and grace of God as found in Jesus Christ, and here we find him as he faces his sentence. Stephen was always full of the Holy Spirit which made his ministry effective and powerful, and which attracted the attention of the Jews. While most would have been scared and fearing for their lives, this man of God gazes into Heaven and sees the glory of God, with Jesus seated at the right hand of God, and declares, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." This angered the accusers for they did not believe in the divinity of Jesus and to be told that He is standing at the sacred right hand of God, infuriates them even more.They could only stop their ears and rushed mightily at Stephen, whom they take out of the city and stone him to death. The required witnesses to this atrocious act left their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Please remember who this Saul later turns out to be. As they stoned Stephen, they hear his prayer, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And having said this, he "fell asleep."
Stephen was the first of many who would die for the sake of Jesus, just as He had said would happen. Stephen took up his cross and followed Jesus, serving Him faithfully even until his dying breath. The young man who witnessed this murder would later write letters of encouragement and hope for others who would meet similar or worst fates because of their faith in Jesus. And what do we do? We sometimes feel like leaving the church if someone doesn't acknowledge us, or welcomes us. We know of people who leave because of a sermon that did not sit well with them. Others because the music we sing does not suit us. Friends, we are to be like Stephen, not Leavin' (okay, not a name but you know what I mean!). We are called to be witnesses of our faith and to continue to serve our Lord regardless of what others may say or want to/from us. Just as Christ is faithful, so should we be.
PRAYER: Loving Father, as we face the challenges of our faith, let us rise above what the world expects and demands to what brings glory to You. May our acts be those of love and compassion. May our words be those who honor You and bring hope to others. And our joy is to serve You, who will welcome us home when it is time. Until then, we have lots to do. Hear our prayer, Father, for we pray in Thy Son's name, Jesus our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Help someone bear their cross today.
Receive my blessings of love and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
My newest pimplesandwrinkles.org post is up, called "Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love." Click here to listen to it: https://bit.ly/2zfRyrC
