Priscilla - A Picture of Loyalty

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Bible Reading:   Acts 18:1-26

Key Verse: Verse 18 – “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

Key Words: and with him Priscilla 

Paul’s friend, Priscilla, no doubt was a remarkable woman.  She was one of the prominent women in the New Testament church, and perhaps the most influential.  Priscilla was actively engaged in promoting the cause of Christ in Corinth and Ephesus.  Paul tells us in Romans 16:3 that Priscilla was a helper to him.  We also read in II Timothy 4:19 that Priscilla was worthy of being saluted (honored).

Priscilla is a picture of loyalty both to the Lord and to the Apostle Paul.

While I certainly do not condone loyalty to man and I would never want anyone to idolize man, there is a great illustration of loyalty in the following story.

One of the all-time greats in baseball was Babe Ruth.  His bat had the power of a cannon, and his record of 714 home runs remained unbroken until Hank Aaron came along.  The Babe was the idol of sports fans, but in time age took its toll, and his popularity began to wane.  Finally the Yankees traded him to the Braves.  In one of his last games in Cincinnati, Babe Ruth began to falter.  He struck out and made several misplays that allowed the Reds to score five runs in one inning.  As the Babe walked toward the dugout, chin down and dejected, there rose from the stands an enormous storm of boos and catcalls.  Some fans actually shook their fists.  Then a wonderful thing happened.  A little boy jumped over the railing, and with tears streaming down his cheeks he ran out to the great athlete.  Unashamedly, he flung his arms around the Babe’s legs and held on tightly.  Babe Ruth scooped him up, hugged him, and set him down again.  Patting him gently on the head, he took his hand and the two of them walked off the field together.

Now, let me ask you: who are you holding hands and walking with?  Hopefully, it’s God.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

            ✞ Be loyal to God.

            ✞ Loyalty is defined as being reliable to another.  Can God rely upon you?

Lydia - The Faithful One

  ***Attention***  We are excited to begin a new chapter on this blog! Beginning June 5th it will only be once a week- on Friday's. There will be new material each week in a myriad of formats. Some examples are: Questions and Answers, Member stories, Testimonies, Behind the Scenes, and the list goes on. Oh, there will be devotionals as well. Please stay tuned and enjoy. *** 

Bible Reading: Acts 16:9-15, 40

Key Verse: Verse 40 - “And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.”

Key Words: and entered into the house of Lydia 

As you read about Lydia, several things leap off the pages of God’s Word.

Ø  She was a business woman; she sold material (verse 14).

Ø  She worshipped God (verse 14).

Ø  She desired to learn more about God (verse 14).

Ø  Although she was saved, she had never been Scripturally baptized (verse 15).

Ø  She desired to be hospitable (verses 15 and 40).

I believe that as you study about Lydia, you can see that she was faithful in her desire to please God.

There is a great illustration of faithfulness that comes from the days when Ronald Reagan was President.

One of the most tragic events during the Reagan Presidency was the Sunday morning terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, in which hundreds of Americans were killed or wounded as they slept.  Many of us can still recall the terrible scenes as the dazed survivors worked to dig out their trapped brothers from beneath the rubble.

A few days after the tragedy, I recall coming across an extraordinary story.  Marine Corps Commandant Paul X. Kelly visited some of the wounded survivors then in a Frankfort, Germany, hospital.  Among them was Corporal Jeffrey Lee Nashton, severely wounded in the incident.  Nashton had so many tubes running in and out of his body that a witness said he looked more like a machine than a man; yet he survived.

As Kelly neared him, Nashton, struggling to move and racked with pain, motioned for a piece of paper and a pen.  He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the Commandant.  On the slip of paper were but two words, “Semper Fi,” the Latin motto of the Marines meaning “forever faithful.”  With those two simple words Nashton spoke for the millions of Americans who have sacrificed body and limb and their lives for their country – those who have remained faithful.

Let me challenge you to remain faithful to God all the days of your life.

                                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

            ✞ Don’t just endure to the end, be faithful while enduring.

Salome - The Ambitious One

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Bible Reading: Matthew 20:20-28

Key Verse: Verse 20 – “Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him,  and desiring a certain thing of him.”

Key Words: Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children 

Several things are known about Salome, but none are more important than her ambition for her sons, James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples.

On one occasion Peter, James, and John were grouped together.  Salome, knowing that Jesus was the Messiah and feeling that the kingdom would soon be established, requested that her sons be placed by Jesus in the kingdom, one on His right hand and the other on His left.

Now, while Salome was wrong and filled with pride in her request, you have to admire her desire for her sons to be near Jesus.  She was, indeed, a woman of ambition.

Salome’s ambition reminds me of a story I read about a student at Amherst College.  Soon after entering, he put over the door of his dormitory room the letter V.  Because of it he endured all sorts of ridicule and withstood questioning.  But he paid no attention to either, nor would he disclose the secret of the letter.  When his four years were over, and graduation day came, that student was appointed to deliver the valedictory.  Then the mystery of that letter V was revealed.  It stood for valedictory.  That letter on the door held before him during his four years the ideal he had set for himself.  Not every boy puts a letter over the door of his college room or over the door of his house.  But nevertheless, somewhere, if only in his mind, there is a letter that he pastes there and that holds before him an ideal.  Some put up the letter M that stands for money.  Others put up F, for fame.  Others put up S, which may stand either for self or for service.  It is a good idea once in a while to step outside your door and look at the letter you have put there.  It may be that when you realize what it is you will want to change it.

We all need to be ambitious, but with a Godly ambition and a desire to bring glory to God.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

            ✞ Be ambitious, but have ambition to glorify God with  your life.

Dorcas - A Picture of Life and Death

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Bible Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Key Verse: Verse 36 – “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by             interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.”

Key Words: which by interpretation is called Dorcas 

The name Dorcas means an emblem of beauty.  There are several things that we know about Dorcas.  First of all, she was full of good deeds (verse 36).  We also know that she was saved.  We are told in verse 36 that she was a disciple.  A third thing we know is that she was greatly loved.  At her death they sent for the Apostle Peter, no doubt to help comfort those who were distraught because of her passing.  When Peter arrived, he found all the widows weeping over her.  A fourth thing we know is that the resurrection from her death brought a revival.  The widows were looking to be comforted, but what they got was new life and a revival as Peter raised Dorcas back to life.

Dorcas pointed others to Christ, both in her life by her good deeds, and in her death by her resurrection.

We have all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and I do believe that is true.  We can hear of thousands starving to death in such countries as Africa, but when we turn on the television and see that precious child starving – stomach swollen, eyes bulging, bones protruding, flies crawling all over their little starving, helpless body – it touches our heart and a picture has accomplished more than words ever could.

So it is with our life.  We need to carry the gospel.  We need to witness to others.  But I do believe that others need to see a picture of Christ working in and through us that reaches out and touches their hearts so they will desire the gospel we are preaching.

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do: 

            ✞ Don’t just carry the gospel, live it, be a picture of what God’s love really is.

Sapphira - Her Last Act

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Bible Reading: Acts 5:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 1  – “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,”

Key Words: with Sapphira his wife 

The name Sapphira means a jewel, sapphire.  No matter what good Sapphira might have done, her last act of deceit and pretending to do what she had not done will always be what she is remembered for.

Now let me ask you, what do you want to be remembered for?

I’m reminded of the story of a mobster who died.  He was a vile, wicked man and had done the community much harm with his life of crime.  The mobster’s brother, though, wanted something good said about his brother at his funeral, so he went to the pastor who was to preach the funeral.  He told him, “If you’ll say my brother was an angel, I’ll build you a new church auditorium.”  The community could hardly wait to see and hear what their uncompromising pastor would say.  Finally, the day of the funeral arrived, the pastor stood and said, “The man who lays before us today was deceitful, wicked, vile, hurtful, and a bad example for our children.  He gained his wealth through fraud and intimidation.  He was a horrible man, but compared to his brother, he was an angel.”

Now, all humor aside – really, what will you be remembered for when you die?

                                                                                     Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

            ✞ Remember you are building your testimony today that you’ll be remembered for through all eternity.

Mary Magdalene - A Picture of Dedication

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Bible Reading:  John 20:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 1 – “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto  the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”

Key Words: The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene 

Mary is called Magdalene because she was from the city of Magdala.

Mary, before her salvation, was a tormented woman who was demon-possessed.  We are told in Mark 16:9 that she was possessed with seven devils.

Mary is mentioned fourteen times in the Gospels.  Eight times she is mentioned with other women, but she always heads the list, implying that she occupied a place of spiritual leadership among the women who followed Jesus.  Five times when she is mentioned alone, it is in connection with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Mary is one of three followers of Jesus who stood by the cross at the crucifixion, she was the first person to witness the empty tomb of our Savior.

Mary Magdalene gives us a picture of dedication to the Lord.

Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize.  He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time.  Michelangelo was only fourteen years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted.  Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art.  One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities.  Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly.”

                                                                                     Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞ We have a lot of “believers” but very few dedicated ones.  Today, would you determine to not just be  “saved” but be dedicated to the Lord as well.

The Samaritan Woman - A Picture of Acceptance

    ***Attention***  We are excited to begin a new chapter on this blog! Beginning June 5th it will only be once a week- on Friday's. There will be new material each week in a myriad of formats. Some examples are: Questions and Answers, Member stories, Testimonies, Behind the Scenes, and the list goes on. Oh, there will be devotionals as well. Please stay tuned and enjoy. ***

Bible Reading:  John 4:1-42

Key Verse: Verse  7 – “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.”

Key Words: There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water             

This I believe is one of the greatest stories in the Bible.  John repeats the conversation between Jesus and the woman with great detail.  It is a dramatic story and is told so vividly that we could easily believe John was at the well himself that day quietly listening and watching as the story unfolds.  Only the Apostle John tells us of this day in the life of the Lord.

There are several things we know about this woman.

Ø  She was a Samaritan, and the Jews had no dealings with Samaritans (verse 9).

Ø  She was a religious woman, but she was not saved (verse 20).

Ø  She was no doubt rejected by others for her lifestyle.  One does not draw water at noon.  Early morning and early evening are the times water would have been drawn (verse 6).

Ø  She was not a successful wife.  She had been married and divorced five times (verse 18).

Ø  She was also living in adultery (verse 18).

Isn’t it great that Jesus accepts us where we are and takes us to where we need to be? 

I was dealing with a 14 year-old who was experiencing some problems in life, as many 14 year-olds do.  During our conversation, I simply asked her if she had been immoral sexually.  She began to weep and informed me that she was pregnant.  I asked her if her parents knew, and they didn’t.  I then informed her that we would have to tell them and her grandparents. 

As she was telling them of her sin and pregnancy, she began to sob.  Mother began to weep, Dad became upset, Grandmother cried, but it was the older, wiser Grandpa who took charge by slapping his knee with his hand and saying, “Come here, dear” – which she did.  Embracing his granddaughter, he told her that he loved her and that by God’s grace, all could be healed and made right again, which eventually it was.

Today, dear friend, that’s what Jesus wants to do with you: embrace you where you are and take you to where you need to be, whether that is salvation or restoring your relationship with the Lord and with others.  Today, come to Jesus.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

            ✞ Come as you are to Jesus, He’ll change you and take you where you need to be.

            ✞ As believers, let us never judge others and hinder the work of God.