“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of

his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With

great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the

Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy

persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or

houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the

apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which

means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the

money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”  Acts 4
———————–

Last night, after my wife and I had come home from a few errands, I

opened the front door of our home and found a huge sack of food.  There

were cherry tomatoes, a giant cauliflower, peppers, onions and

cucumbers.  The best thing about this food: it came from a garden where

no pesticides were used.   Home grown - the best!

We knew who had dropped off this blessing: our neighbors across the

street who have a garden behind their house. They’ve done this three

times this summer.

We live in a relatively small city in an old neighborhood (not the suburbs)

in which many of the folks look out for one another.  The

neighbors who keep bringing the food?  Well, when someone in that

household gets sick, my wife fixes up a big batch of chicken soup and

takes it over to them.  We have also gotten flowers for that woman’s

birthday.  We try to be a blessing to all of our neighbors.  The other

day a young couple was moving in across the street. Both of them

are on leave from the Army.  They have two small children.  We figured

that the last thing they would have time for while moving in was to eat.

So, we bought them a bunch of pizza and they were thrilled.  There

was a young guy who used to live across the street who had many

problems.  One Thanksgiving, we delivered a big pecan pie to him with a

tract about coming to know Christ attached to the container.

We believe that what we DO in the name of Christ is as important as

what we say to our neighbors about our Christian faith.  The Bible says

that God is love and I often tell my teenage son, “Love is a verb.”  We

try to show our neighbors that we love them in the name of Jesus by

DOING something to bless them and to make them happy.

The Book of Acts gives us a much different picture of how Christians

lived and behaved centuries ago than what we see in America today.  It

shows us a picture of Christians loving and sharing - not just within their own families - but

within their communities.  In my lifetime, I have seen

us (Christians) do way too much finger-pointing towards those who

don’t know Christ and not nearly enough giving and sharing of God’s

love with them.

I pray nearly every day that the Lord will make me less focused on me and

my own household and more focused on loving and sharing God’s love

with my neighbors and acquaintances.  Will you join me in that prayer?

Prayer for today:

Dear Lord, you changed the world because you loved us so much that you sent your only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to live among us and to die for our salvation.  Help us to change the world by sharing your love with each and every person we enounter - neighbors and acquaintances.Help us to be more concerned about our own sin and not as concerned about the flaws and imperfections of other people. Help us to learn that love is indeed a verb.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.”

Psalm 119
———————————-
The other night, I was watching a television talk show about current events and the show host made this statement: “The Bible is an evil book.” He was not joking; he was dead serious.
Many in the audience applauded enthusiastically.
This well-known celebrity is very proud of the fact that he is an atheist and that he believes those who pursue God are ignorant and irrational.
Should this guy be taken out behind the shed and given a good whippin’ ? No, I don’t think so. He has a right to his opinions even though his opinions are wrong and illogical. This man needs our prayers and we need to pray that someone(s) will share the truth about Christ with him personally in a way in which he can receive it.
But this man’s brash statement about the Bible is becoming increasingly a more accepted philosophy in America (and the rest of the world) in this so-called “post-Christian era” in which we are living. I think it’s interesting that he never has called (to my knowledge) any other religion’s scriptures “evil.” Only the Bible.
Atheists and agnostics are railing away at the Bible and its truths. But even in many so-called evangelical churches its precepts are not being taught. I read not long ago that a poll was taken in which people were asked on the street the name of the first book of the Bible. Over 50 percent had no idea that the correct answer was Genesis!
When I was young and I shared the gospel with people who didn’t know the Lord, the vast majority of the people I talked with had some idea of the basic tenants and truths of the Bible. Now, I find that I can’t expect people to be familiar with even the most basic foundational truths of the Bible. So, in evangelism, we find ourselves teaching at a kindergarten level to help explain the Gospel to those seeking spiritual truth.
The Holy Bible is a beautiful book in every way. It details God’s love for humanity and gives us guidelines to help us to live fruitful lives and provides a wonderful promise for our future when we leave this Earth.
Over the years, I have noted that new converts who don’t read the Bible regularly and learn what it says generally will not last long in the Christian faith. But I have also seen this to be the case with long-time Christians who decide that the Bible has only minor relevance in their lives over the years.
Satan is fighting a battle to make the Bible irrelevant in the culture of the United States and in all other nations. Those of us who are believers need to proclaim to the world that the Holy Bible is the Word of God; proclaim how it has changed our lives; share how it will change the lives of unbelievers.

Prayer for today:

“Dear Lord, thank you for the Bible, your Word. We are sorry that so many mock your Word and so many do not believe in its wonderful truths. Lord, help us to “live and keep your word.” Help us to live and speak and behave in a way that glorifies you and that glorifies your Living Word. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”