November 16 | 1 Peter 3:13-22

---

DAILY READING

1 Peter 3:13-22

---

REFLECTION

Humble Yet Fearless

by Judy Webb

“For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than doing evil.” (Peter 3:17)

This statement seems like a no-brainer. But once we stop and think about it, is it ever better to suffer? Consider the times you were enduring pain, either physical or emotional, did it seem good to you? Dietrich Bonhoffer said, "suffering is the badge of a true Christian." Huh? What does this mean? Can anything worthwhile ever result from suffering? I understand that, yes, it can and often does.

Sometimes we suffer because we took a stand for someone. We spoke up in their defense and our words caused us to endure someone else’s anger. We live in precarious times and our faith could require us to be bold; to take a stand for righteousness. As Christians we should be humble yet fearless.

In suffering we can claim the promises of God. “Consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2) Did you notice the verse read many kinds. Not just persecution, or life-changing illnesses, or financial ruin, but many kinds. Heartache, dashed dreams, defiant children…many kinds.

Afflictions work for good; they make way for glory. Just as plowing prepares the earth for crops, so too our troubles make us look to Jesus.

God sometimes puts us on our backs to make us look up.–Anonymous

We must care for each other, stand firm in our beliefs, and do good. “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:28) We cannot avoid suffering, so seek to be a blessing. Our enemies might hurt us, but they cannot destroy us.

PRAYER

Dear Father,

We need courage and strength to plow through this life. There is always something just around the corner destined to trip us up. Give us eyes to recognize Satan and his minions as they attempt to rile us up. Give us your peace and a sense of your Presence all the time. Amen.

November 15 | Acts 19:1-8

---

DAILY READING

Acts 19:1-8

---

REFLECTION

The Holy Spirit

by David Thompson

Have you ever felt empty regarding spiritual things? I know I have. Like the twelve men in today's passage, they didn't even know they were missing a large piece of one of God's ultimate promises. It would seem from the passage that there was a cognitive act that was needed to have the "whole" presence of God as part of their lives.

Now I know that most reading became filled with the saving knowledge of Christ and also had an infilling of the Spirit. The experience left them with no doubt that the Holy Spirit was infilling them. However, through the years of talking with people, there have been a good number who felt a lack in this area. If we look at today's passage once again, we can see that the men Paul spoke to had John's baptism and a promise that there would be one coming after John that would have another baptism. That baptism was after that person realized Jesus Christ and this entity called the Holy Spirit. In verse 4 it states that, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. Paul told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

Verse 5 tells us that when they heard of their lack, they all were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Verse 6 is the key. It states that "When Paul placed his hands on them the spirit came on them." Now there is a lot of debate about what followed. The twelve men displayed some outward signs. Just what we, as Holy Spirit filled Christians, will display have caused arguments throughout the centuries. It's not in my "pay grade" to try to convince anyone what exactly they will feel or what signs they might display. Whole denominations have been formed with the perceived answer to this age old question.

For me, I look at Paul in his road to Damascus experience. As you remember from Acts 9, Paul was struck blind and after a number of days a Christian named Ananias came to Paul, laid hands on him and Paul's sight was restored. We know that Saul (as he was known before his conversion) was a mean man who persecuted the members of the Way and had them jailed and even killed. Saul was there when Steven was stoned to death. However, once Paul received the full Gospel that included the Holy Spirit, he was a changed man. We all know he is responsible for much of the New Testament.

The key is, it changed him, and I strongly believe when a person becomes a Christian and becomes filled with the Holy Spirit, there will be a change. That person will display the "fruit of the Spirit" as related in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Notice that the "fruit" is singular meaning you will have a degree of all the above. You might, and likely will, have some gifts as well. There are folks right here at UALC that have a survey of Spiritual Gifts you can take and find what your gifts might be. Mine include teaching, leadership and administration. I would be interested to hear what you have found or will find are your gifts. For a Spiritual Gifts Test - Click here

PRAYER

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for your faithfulness and love. Help all who read the above to take to heart that there is no need to feel empty in our Christian walk. Help us see the need of getting a full measure of your Holy Spirit in our lives. If the fruit of the Spirit is lacking touch those that long for that and some of your gifts. We ask all of this in Christ's wonderful name. Amen and Amen!

November 14 | Acts 16:16-34

---

DAILY READING

Acts 16:16-34

---

REFLECTION

Setting the Prisoner and the Imprisoner Free

by Dan Kidd

From the earliest stories of God and God's people, baptism was a ritual wherein God imparted grace and restoration. In Numbers 8, the Lord has Moses wash the Levites (the priestly tribe). If someone was ritually unclean, by disease or by touching something dead or bloodied, the Levitical law instructs, "The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair and bathe with water; then they will be ceremonially clean."

Naaman, a commander in King Aram's army, is instructed by the prophet Elisha, to bathe in the Jordan where he is healed of leprosy. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he was baptized by John the Baptizer and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on God's people, Peter concludes his sermon by directing the people to repent and be baptized.

Throughout the centuries since, Christians have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, receiving the grace and restoration promised in Jesus; drowning to death the old self and being resurrected with Christ.

In today's passage, we hear of one such baptism; the baptism of the Paul's and Silas's jailer. There are a number of things we can marvel at and celebrate in this story, but one detail we ought not miss is how Christ's Gospel sets free not only the imprisoned (an incredible pronouncement) but also the imprisoner. Centuries before, the prophet Isaiah pronounced,

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1 NRSVA)

Too often we are divided as enemies. Perhaps nowhere so intensely as the rift between prisoners and their imprisoners. And it seems all too natural that we must pick a side in such contests. Either we are on the side of the prisoner or the side of the imprisoner. But Christ's Gospel is bigger than that. Paul and Silas, by a miraculous act of the Lord, were freed from their imprisonment. They had no reasonable obligation to attend to the jailer. But they knew that he needed liberation just as bad as they did. So they stayed and offered him the Gospel. And in the waters of baptism that morning the Lord liberated the imprisoner and his entire household.

PRAYER

Lord, we thank you for the incredible gift of baptism, wherein you impart your grace, your liberation, and your resurrection to us. Thank you for a Gospel so sweet that it offers all of this to whomever will hear it. Thank you, Jesus, for being the liberator of prisoners and imprisoners and for everyone else.