Sunday 8 Jul 2018

July 8: Acts 9:36-43

Key Verse: Acts 9:36
n Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.

Devotion:
I think this is one miracle which is often overlooked, but I want to have a look at it here because of how it happened. Tabitha was a disciple, or, in other words, she was a Christian; she believed in Christ and followed His teachings. Not only that though, for she was known for her good works and kind deeds; so much so that when she died, they were showing all the things she had made for others whilst she was being mourned. She had truly touched the hearts of many people around her.

Peter was called from nearby Joppa to come to them because of the importance of this single life in their community. When he heard about Tabitha’s death, he came immediately; meaning he had probably heard all about her too. When he got there, he had everyone leave the room so he could pray to God with just the two of them. And that is all he did. He prayed and then demonstrated his faith in Christ that He would answer his prayer by telling Tabitha to rise up. Peter knew how important it was to have someone in the community who could hold them together in love and kindness. He knew there was nobody like Tabitha yet who would take over and he wanted God to allow her to continue with her ministry for a bit longer.

It was not Peter’s words which made Tabitha come back to life but the power of Christ through his spoken words which did it. When we focus on doing things for God we need to remember that when God is behind it, nothing can stop His will. We have to remember God is all powerful. We have to demonstrate our faith in Him alone by believing He will do things which will bring glory to His name. As long as we bring our prayers to Him with the knowledge that He will get the glory, we can know He will answer our prayers without question. Peter may not have had such a good start whilst Christ was alive, but he made up for it with his faith afterwards. It is never too late to show our faith for Christ.

Points to Ponder:
Do you wish you could do wonderful things?

Who are you actually thinking about when you wish that?