DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR MONDAY DECEMBER 13
WORD OF WISDOM
Biscuits and sermons both improve with shortening.
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DAILY DEVOTION
Looking Forward, Looking Back
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which
salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied
of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of
time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1 Peter 1:9-11
Even before the Scriptures began to be written, people were looking forward
to the coming of Jesus Christ. The Lord told the Pharisees, "Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56).
Through long centuries, as the Holy Spirit inspired prophecies that were
recorded in Scripture, there were times when the authors didn't understand
how what they were writing would come to pass. God's plans are not dependent
on us understanding how He intends to work. Our task is to act in faithful
obedience to what we know, and to trust Him for the rest.
Isaac Newton, a man of deep faith as well as scientific ability, wrote, "God
gave the prophecies, not to gratify men's curiosity by enabling them to
foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be
interpreted by the event, and His own providence, not the interpreters, be
thereby manifested to the world." Every time we look back on how God has
worked, not just in our own lives but throughout history, it reminds us of
His faithfulness and strengthens our faith to trust Him more. The story of
Christmas is not a fairy tale or a myth; it is a powerful demonstration of
God's reliability.
The world around us values uncertainty and many today reject the idea that
there even is such a thing as truth. God calls us to a different way of
living-a way that believes His truth and His promises without wavering. We
trust God, not because we understand all that He is doing, but because we
believe that He does. Paul wrote, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2
Corinthians 5:7).
Every promise of God is certain and sure, and we can fully rely on Him to do
all He has spoken.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Peter
Acts 15:1-21 Easy-to-Read Version
The Meeting at Jerusalem
1 Then some men came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish
believers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught
us." 2 Paul and Barnabas were against this teaching and argued with these
men about it. So the group decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others
to Jerusalem to talk more about this with the apostles and elders.
3 The church helped them get ready to leave on their trip. The men went
through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, where they told all about
how the non-Jewish people had turned to the true God. This made all the
believers very happy. 4 When the men arrived in Jerusalem, the apostles, the
elders, and the whole church welcomed them. Paul, Barnabas, and the others
told about all that God had done with them. 5 Some of the believers in
Jerusalem had belonged to the Pharisees. They stood up and said, "The
non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. We must tell them to obey the Law
of Moses!"
6 Then the apostles and the elders gathered to study this problem. 7 After a
long debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "My brothers, I am sure you
remember what happened in the early days. God chose me from among you to
tell the Good News to those who are not Jewish. It was from me that they
heard the Good News and believed. 8 God knows everyone, even their thoughts,
and he accepted these non-Jewish people. He showed this to us by giving them
the Holy Spirit the same as he did to us. 9 To God, those people are not
different from us. When they believed, God made their hearts pure. 10 So
now, why are you putting a heavy burden around the necks of the non-Jewish
followers of Jesus? Are you trying to make God angry? We and our fathers
were not able to carry that burden. 11 No, we believe that we and these
people will be saved the same way-by the grace of the Lord Jesus."
12 Then the whole group became quiet. They listened while Paul and Barnabas
told about all the miraculous signs and wonders that God had done through
them among the non-Jewish people. 13 When they finished speaking, James
said, "My brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon Peter has told us how God showed
his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time, God accepted them
and made them his people. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this too:
16 'I will return after this.
I will build David's house again.
It has fallen down.
I will build again the parts of his house that have been pulled down.
I will make his house new.
17 Then the rest of the world will look for the Lord God-
all those of other nations who are my people too.
The Lord said this.
And he is the one who does all these things.'
18 'All this has been known from the beginning of time.'
19 "So I think we should not make things hard for those who have turned to
God from among the non-Jewish people. 20 Instead, we should send a letter
telling them only the things they should not do:
Don't eat food that has been given to idols. This makes the food unclean.
Don't be involved in sexual sin.
Don't eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still
has the blood in it.
21 They should not do any of these things, because there are still men in
every city who teach the Law of Moses. The words of Moses have been read in
the synagogue every Sabbath day for many years."
