July 25, 2008, Praises Along the Way-- Man,What a Mess!

I was reading in Acts 14:8-19 recently. Here Paul calls out to a crippled man in the crowd and the guy is healed immediately. The people think that their gods have come in human form and begin to worship Paul and Barnabas and their priest comes to present a sacrifice to them.

Paul and Barnabas want nothing to do with this; they were trying to glorify God. They try to convince the crowd but it says in vs. 18 they had difficulty trying to keep the crowds from sacrificing to them. This is truly a bad church service day!

Then some Jews come and completely turn the crowd and somehow this same crowd that was worshipping Paul and Barnabas only a few minutes ago, turn and stones Paul leaving him for dead outside the city.

What a mess! If I were Paul and Barnabas, I would be asking God, what happened?! They were doing good by healing the man and then all of sudden they were in way over their heads. It amazes me how the people put them on such a pedestal from seeing the miracle take place. How the people were tossed about like a wave on the sea by what their eyes saw and what their ears heard.

When I put my faith in man, I am constantly let down… but God is constant. He never will let me down.

It is so important to know the word! What are the laws of this Kingdom that we are members of through Jesus? It operates differently than the “kingdom” of this world. We cannot be swayed by things we hear and see; only the word of God and his Son and his Spirit are reliable truth. This is the constant that was the same from the beginning until now and ever more faithfully will be!

Hebrews 12:26-28 says, At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate that removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Place your faith, hope and confidence in the One who is eternal, who cannot be shaken and in his word that comes from his very mouth. Learn it, know it, meditate on it, and believe what it says for a time when that’s all you have to hold onto, when all hell breaks loose in your life. It’s the constant that will keep you grounded on the Rock with the waves crashing all around.

The following scriptures all refer to the word in differing ways and meanings, many of these are connected to belief in the word, what the word is, who it is, where it comes from and how we are to respond to the word.

For God to mention something once is a big thing, for him to speak over and over and over about a subject, well, we had better take notice of it! Matthew 4:4, Luke 8:21, Luke 11:28, John 1:1, 14, John 5:24, John 12:48, John 17:17, Romans 10:17, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:15. These are just a few that jumped off the page at me.

Father, I put my faith in you and your Word alone. Thank you for your Word that you send to heal me. Thank you for Jesus who is the Word. Put such a hunger and thirsting in us that can only be satisfied by your word.

Bring revelation to your people from your word and help us to understand all the depths and wonders in it. Thank you that your word is living and sharp that you can cut directly to the heart issue of a matter with it to bring healing to the hurting soul.

Jesus, you are the Way and the Truth and the Life, in you I live and move and have my being! I rejoice in you and your powerful word! More Lord! More for your people! More for your Kingdom! AMEN! All glory to you, forevermore!