The Pocket Testament League

I get this devotional Monday through Fridays. It's really good :)

Day 150: It Would Be So Much Easier To Just Open The Door

Acts 12:13-15

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

Thoughts for Today:

Not long ago I was playing golf with Pastor Ty. We generally play as a twosome, as it gives us time to talk with each other and whoever God chooses to place in our group. On this particular day, we were joined by a guy in his early thirties who was married, and had two children (they attended an Episcopal preschool). As the conversation turned to what church he was attending, he stammered a bit because by now he knew Ty was a preacher. He answered by saying his family was Jewish, but his wife was Episcopalian. Ty then asked what I thought was a really good question, "Is she a Christian?" He thought about that for a minute, and then said in all seriousness, "I'm not sure I know what it means to be a Christian." Our new friend did not play very good golf the rest of the day, but by the time we finished, he had a much better idea of the person and identity of Jesus.

Our friend asked some really good questions that day, and perhaps the best one was, "Okay I understand who you say Jesus is, but why and how do I believe?" If my daughter asked me "Why do I have to clean my room?" Sometimes I will get tired of explaining and go into my Dad-mode and just say, "Because I say so." That wasn't going to work with this guy, yet that is basically how a lot of Christians answer this question. As I read our passage today I thought about our friend's questions, you see Jesus was standing knocking at his door just like Peter. Rather than opening the door, instead our friend was running to other people looking for answers (as was the servant girl). We were just the last in a long list. I finally told him that he wouldn't find his answers from other people -- the answer would come from Jesus Himself -- from his own personal experience. All he needed was enough faith and belief to grab the handle of the door and open it. Jesus would do the rest. I thought about myself when I said this. I certainly have let Jesus into my life (my house), but have I let Him in every room?

Questions to Ponder:

How long has it been since you opened the door to Jesus? Have you let Him into every room of your house? Is there an area you keep Him out of? Is He in all of your friendships, relationships, at work, in your car, and in your marriage? In what area of your life is Jesus not present? Will you invite Him into that area now?

Things I read today

2 Samuel 20:12

12And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him.

Even back then, men had a fascination with the traumatic.

2 Samuel 20:14-22

14And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Bichrites assembled and followed him in. 15And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah. They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down. 16Then a wise woman called from the city, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, 'Come here, that I may speak to you.'" 17And he came near her, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Listen to the words of your servant." And he answered, "I am listening." 18Then she said, "They used to say in former times, 'Let them but ask counsel at Abel,' and so they settled a matter. 19I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the LORD?" 20Joab answered, "Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! 21That is not true. But a man of 22Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

I pray for this much wisdom.

2 Samuel 22:2-3
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.

I am always amazed by how much God loves me.

2 Samuel 22:29

29 For you are my lamp, O LORD,
and my God lightens my darkness.

If I follow Him, He will light my way.

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

3He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

No one can possibly keep me safer!

1 Timothy 1:12-16

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

My life changed dramatically because of Christ and I love Him more than words can ever say!

1 Timothy 2:1-6

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

This is such an exhortation to share the Gospel because the Lord desires all people to be saved! What are you reading?

How do you live?

I get A Slice of Infinity sent to my email everyday. It is one of the most thought provoking devotionals I know of. The following was written by Ravi Zacharias and it's funny, but when I hit the tag surfer button, I do get a lot of blogs full of skepticism based on how Christians are viewed, people not "buying Christianity" because of all the hypocricy they see. This is really something to contemplate :

05/15/08
The Apologetic of the Apologist
Ravi Zacharias

A starting point for taking on the responsibility of the work of Christian
apologetics is recognizing the role that living out a disciplined
Christian life plays. Even a brief examination of the Scriptures reveals
this striking imperative: one may not divorce the content of apologetics
from the character of the apologist. Apologetics derives from the
Greek word apologia, "to give an answer." 1 Peter 3:15 gives us
the defining statement: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia) to everyone who
asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with
gentleness and respect."

I have always found this to be such a fascinating verse because the
apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew the hazards
and the risks of being an answer-bearer to the sincere questions that
people would pose of the gospel. Indeed, when one contrasts the answers
of Jesus to any of his detractors, it is not hard to see that their
resistance is not of the mind but rather of the heart. Furthermore, I
have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the
gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on
our part to live it out. The Irish evangelist Gypsy Smith once said,
"There are five Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and
some people will never read the first four." In other words, apologetics
is often first seen before it is heard.

For that very reason the Scriptures give us a clear picture of the
apologetic Christian: one who has first set apart Christ in his or her
heart as Lord, and then responds with answers to the questioner with
gentleness and respect. Therefore, one must not overlook the stark
reality that the way one's life is lived out will determine the impact
upon the skeptic. There are few obstacles to faith as serious as
expounding the unlived life. Too many skeptics see the quality of one's
life and firmly believe that it is all theory, bearing no supernatural
component.
I remember well in the early days of my Christian faith talking to a
Hindu. He was questioning the strident claims of the followers of Christ
as being something supernatural. He absolutely insisted "conversion was
nothing more than a decision to lead a more ethical life and that in most
cases it was not any different to those claims of other 'ethical'
religions." So far, his argument was not anything new.
But then he said something that I have never forgotten, and often reflect
upon: "If this conversion is truly supernatural, why is it not more
evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?" His question is
a troublesome one. After all, no Buddhist claims a supernatural life but
frequently lives a more consistent one. The same pertains to many of
other faiths. Yet, how often the so-called Christian, even while
proclaiming some of the loftiest truths one could ever express, lives a
life bereft of that beauty and character.

This call to a life reflecting the person of Christ is the ultimate
calling upon the apologist. The skeptic is not slow to notice when there
is a disparity, and because of that, may question the whole gospel in its
supernatural claim. Yet when they are met with gentleness and respect, we
will help meet the deepest longings of the heart and mind, and they will
find where true discovery lies. Let us live so accordingly.