3/10 Acts 20:32-38
32 “And now I entrust you to God and the word of his grace — his message that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. 33 “I have never coveted anyone’s money or fine clothing. 34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to pay my own way, and I have even supplied the needs of those who were with me. 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help the poor by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” 36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. 37 They wept aloud as they embraced him in farewell, 38 sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.
CONFIDENCE
We can have confidence that the Lord is with us. He will see us through the ups and downs of our life. He is a personal Lord who cares for everyone and yet knows us totally. The Lord Jesus is alive and He is alive in us. Rejoice because the Lord knows what you are facing and has a path of victory for your life.
Author - Clay Corvin
3/9 Acts 20:28-31
28 “And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock — his church, purchased with his blood — over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders. 29 I know full well that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some of you will distort the truth in order to draw a following. 31 Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you — my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
FALSE
Be careful, there are wolves seeking to mislead the Lord’s children. Know the Lord so that those misrepresenting Jesus will not fool you. The Lord is worthy of our best and false teachers can fool you if you are not on the alert.
3/8 Acts 20:22-27
22 “And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. 25 “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Let me say plainly that I have been faithful. No one’s damnation can be blamed on me, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants for you.
MISSION
We each have a mission for our life. The Lord is calling us to follow Him in service and to do be faithful in doing what He has called us to do-our mission. Listen to Jesus. Seek to grow in Christ and serve the Lord. By growing and serving you will fulfill the mission the Lord has called you to do.
3/7 Acts 20:11-21
11 Then they all went back upstairs and ate the Lord’s Supper together. And Paul continued talking to them until dawn; then he left. 12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home unhurt, and everyone was greatly relieved. 13 Paul went by land to Assos, where he had arranged for us to join him, and we went on ahead by ship. 14 He joined us there and we sailed together to Mitylene. 15 The next day we passed the island of Kios. The following day, we crossed to the island of Samos. And a day later we arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided against stopping at Ephesus this time because he didn’t want to spend further time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, for the Festival of Pentecost. 17 But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come down to meet him. 18 When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now 19 I have done the Lord’s work humbly — yes, and with tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. 20 Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike — the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus.
MESSAGE
The message is always the same. Turn to Christ and turn away from sin. The Lord is able to save us and He will equip us to serve. Lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us and follow Jesus.
3/6 Acts 20:4-10
4 Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were from the province of Asia. 5 They went ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 As soon as the Passover season ended, we boarded a ship at Philippi in Macedonia and five days later arrived in Troas, where we stayed a week. 7 On the first day of the week, we gathered to observe the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching; and since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he sank into a deep sleep and fell three stories to his death below. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!”
MIRACLE
What will it take for you to serve the Lord? Whatever miracle you need the Lord will do it. Follow Him, listen to Him and He will faithfully guide you day by day.
3/5 Acts 20:1-3
1 When it was all over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia. 2 Along the way, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece, 3 where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia.
ALERT
We are called to be as harmless as doves and wise as a serpent. Spend time with Jesus. He will guide your path. Christ will equip you to face life today.
3/4 Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. 46 If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
ENEMIES
Love your enemies. In Christ we can do that. Without Jesus we would be whistling in the wind. Surrender you life to Christ; let Him propel your daily activities.
3/2 Matthew 5:33-37
33 “Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say, don’t make any vows! If you say, ‘By heaven!’ it is a sacred vow because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And if you say, ‘By the earth!’ it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool. And don’t swear, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Don’t even swear, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.
YES
Yes we can follow Jesus. Yes we can be cleansed from our sin. Yes we need to do that quickly when we sin. It is important that I let the Holy Spirit show me my sin and that I quickly repent when I recognize this. Seek the Lord while He may be found. Ask Jesus to keep your heart, mind and body free from sin.
3/1 Matthew 5:27-32
27 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye — even if it is your good eye — causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand — even if it is your stronger hand — causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 31 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce.’ 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
DETAIL
The Lord speaks to us about our sin. We are great sinners. Sin is repugnant. Sin is rampant. We need forgiveness. Jesus provides that forgiveness that we so desperately need.
3/3 Matthew 5:38-42
38 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ 39 But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. 40 If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
HARD
This is a hard saying. How can I forgive? The truth is I cannot but Jesus can. He forgives me and He will give me strength to forgive those who sin against me. Hate destroys. Forgiveness builds.