4:20 "We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard."
It's pretty cool that the burning desire inside us just won't be ignored. Heck even the examples and kind of lives I watched my grandparents live followed me deep into my sinful life! Poppong into my head from time to time to tell me, "hey, you're missing it!" But once you give in to it and surrender; this new desire to be everything God created us to be takes over! A blessing of "not being able to stop" is a wonderful gift! Thank you Jesus!
4:30 "Send your healng power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
I think this a prayer that doesn't get prayed enough anymore. Personally I know that I don't pray for it enough. Just looking around the world we live in today, it seems this prayer is too absent and needs to be asked for a lot more! I mean how incredible would it be if the news was filled with miracles being performed in the name of Jesus instead of the kinds of things we see everyday and night! I'm not claiming that miracles aren't still occuring, but how awesome would it be it they were so frequent that they couldn't help but put them on the news for everyone to see and hear about! I pray that this prayer becomes a desire for our lives that is burnt into our hearts!
7:59-60 And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord don't charge them with this sin!" And with that he died.
These verses have me asking myself if I go out in some way similar; maybe not being attacked, maybe in a plane crash, or sky diving, or some other way that leaves me only a few minutes or even seconds; would I spend it screaming like a little girl or would I rest in my faith and just pray? I'm not convinced that I wouldn't scream like a girl! That's pretty sad. And if it was sombody elses fault that I was about to die would I pray for their forgiveness?
This tells me that there is still a kind of love out there that I'm not fully understanding yet. A love that knows how extrememly fortunate I am to have a relationship with God, to walk with Christ! A love that doesn't wish eternity in the hell on anyone, even my potential murderer(s)! That sounds really bad, but it's true. I'm not convinced that if somebody muggged and beat me to death tonight (because I didn't have any money :)~ ) That I would be able to say that I didn't wish hell on him! (Assuming it wasn't a woman) I feel horrible for saying that but, I 'm not so sure that I wouldn't be caught up in the momment of never seeing my kids again, never accomplishing this or that! Leaving this world as a 29yr old chubby guy who lived with his parents! And being furious with this person who ended my life! That tells me I need to be praying for what Stephen had! That love of all God's children, and NEVER assuming that any can't be saved! A heartfelt desire that asks God to use this very act to bring them into His Kingdom if need be! A guilt and conviction from their victim pleading to God for their forgiveness. If not immediately than from a memmory of the last words of someone they just killed praying for them!
I know Jesus asked for his murderers forgiveness too, but I've always viewed that as meaning ALL OF US, whose sins he paid the price for! Stephen tells me that this love is possible for us as well. It could even be not wanting the last thing he felt to be hate or anger! I don't know, but either way I pray that if I'm ever in a situation like that; I don't scream like a girl, but instead go out expressing a love that is so much louder even as a whisper!
2 comments:
4:20 "We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard."
It's pretty cool that the burning desire inside us just won't be ignored. Heck even the examples and kind of lives I watched my grandparents live followed me deep into my sinful life! Poppong into my head from time to time to tell me, "hey, you're missing it!" But once you give in to it and surrender; this new desire to be everything God created us to be takes over! A blessing of "not being able to stop" is a wonderful gift! Thank you Jesus!
4:30 "Send your healng power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
I think this a prayer that doesn't get prayed enough anymore. Personally I know that I don't pray for it enough. Just looking around the world we live in today, it seems this prayer is too absent and needs to be asked for a lot more! I mean how incredible would it be if the news was filled with miracles being performed in the name of Jesus instead of the kinds of things we see everyday and night! I'm not claiming that miracles aren't still occuring, but how awesome would it be it they were so frequent that they couldn't help but put them on the news for everyone to see and hear about! I pray that this prayer becomes a desire for our lives that is burnt into our hearts!
7:59-60 And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord don't charge them with this sin!" And with that he died.
These verses have me asking myself if I go out in some way similar; maybe not being attacked, maybe in a plane crash, or sky diving, or some other way that leaves me only a few minutes or even seconds; would I spend it screaming like a little girl or would I rest in my faith and just pray? I'm not convinced that I wouldn't scream like a girl! That's pretty sad. And if it was sombody elses fault that I was about to die would I pray for their forgiveness?
This tells me that there is still a kind of love out there that I'm not fully understanding yet. A love that knows how extrememly fortunate I am to have a relationship with God, to walk with Christ! A love that doesn't wish eternity in the hell on anyone, even my potential murderer(s)! That sounds really bad, but it's true. I'm not convinced that if somebody muggged and beat me to death tonight (because I didn't have any money :)~ ) That I would be able to say that I didn't wish hell on him! (Assuming it wasn't a woman) I feel horrible for saying that but, I 'm not so sure that I wouldn't be caught up in the momment of never seeing my kids again, never accomplishing this or that! Leaving this world as a 29yr old chubby guy who lived with his parents! And being furious with this person who ended my life! That tells me I need to be praying for what Stephen had! That love of all God's children, and NEVER assuming that any can't be saved! A heartfelt desire that asks God to use this very act to bring them into His Kingdom if need be! A guilt and conviction from their victim pleading to God for their forgiveness. If not immediately than from a memmory of the last words of someone they just killed praying for them!
I know Jesus asked for his murderers forgiveness too, but I've always viewed that as meaning ALL OF US, whose sins he paid the price for! Stephen tells me that this love is possible for us as well. It could even be not wanting the last thing he felt to be hate or anger! I don't know, but either way I pray that if I'm ever in a situation like that; I don't scream like a girl, but instead go out expressing a love that is so much louder even as a whisper!
I'm with you on that one. I want to have a deeper love like that. I have so far to go.
-Kyle
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