Devotion
By what power have you done this?
David Jacobs
I was involved in a physical altercation between two strangers that ended up with me getting in a bit of legal trouble. I was walking home in a busy part of the city where I was living when I noticed a large crowd in front of me. Everyone was watching something, and as I grew closer, I could hear two persons shooting. Suddenly I could see what the commotion was about: a man and a woman were arguing about something, and it appeared that he had hit her several times. I did not know these people, and I, and everyone else around me, hoped that the man would stop considering so many people were watching. Unfortunately, he did not stop, and I could not watch it continue. I was physically much larger than the man, so I came up behind him and took him to the ground. I held him there until the police arrived, and they took him away. However, because I was involved in the dispute and the man said I had hurt him, I also had to go to the station.
In that story, I knew there was a chance that there would be repercussions for my physical actions against a stranger. Luckily nothing happened to me, but there was a possibility. In the verses above, Peter and John are justifiably upset: in chapter 4 of Acts, they are arrested for healing the hand of a beggar outside of the temple. The priests asked Peter and John, "by what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" (Acts 4:7) They had had enough of this situation, knowing that they had done no wrong, boldly exclaiming that they were devotees of Christ, the man who they had killed. After learning that they were Disciples of Christ, Peter and John were freed.
Everybody has their limits. We must consider the meaning of our limits, however, making sure that they are in line with the teachings of Christ. They may not always be in accordance with the laws of nations, but we must remain loyal and obedient to the most noble power of all: God.
Prayer
Lord my Heavenly Father, grant me the strength to carry forward your word to those who need it most. Help settle my boundaries in accordance with your word, so that I do not overstep and assume to know on your behalf. Forgive those that know not of your teachings, and give me the courage to stand in front of them, proclaiming that you are the one true God. Amen.
Devotion
Don’t Judge
Frances Taylor
This is a pretty consistent theme in the New Testament. Jesus certainly makes it clear that judging is unacceptable. In more than one Gospel the message is clear: don't judge. We humans do it though! We judge for lots of reasons. One of the not so nice reasons is to make ourselves feel better. If we can judge someone to be worse than ourselves, it can make us feel superior. Often people caught doing something will turn and say that it's not as bad as what "so and so" does. Other times, we make a judgment and spread whatever we think we know about another's behavior as gossip. It gives us a sense of power to act like we "know" everything. And often we are wrong in our judgments. Spreading gossip can ruin a person's reputation often without any substance behind it. We also tend to make judgments based on color, race, gender, age, ethnicity, all sorts of things that bias us. If you were sick in a foreign country, would you trust the doctors? If you see...
Morning Prayer
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Inspiration
Our victory, as believers, is not by our might or by the height of our intellect. Nothing in our own power can ever make us righteous. We are where we are, as children of God, as a result of the Spirit of God residing in us. The Spirit of God is able to reside in us so easily because Jesus Christ justified and sanctified us by his blood. Isn't that glorious?
Prayer
Dear God, I thank you that it is never by my might or power that I am saved and victorious in you. It is because of your son, Jesus Christ, that I am able to have access to the Holy Spirit who enables me to function as your child. Lord, may I always take heed to the guidance of your Spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray. ...
