The Expanse

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE EXPANSE

Gen 1:6-8

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning — the second day.

NIV

Day two is very interesting, presenting a truth that might be larger than we see at first glance. What we know is that the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the deep. Now God spoke to the waters, which we do not know how large or deep the water is, yet he divided the water with a space, an expanse, which he made. We don't think much about the fact that God created an expanse. Before he made the expense, there was none, but only the surface of the deep. We know that He called the expanse sky, which we look up into every day of our lives. We see the sky, its clouds floating by, and stare out into the expanse God made to divide the waters. If then the water is divided, there is water under the expanse and water above the expanse. We know from Day three that he let the waters below the expanse gather in one place, and he made the dry land appear. He was forming the earth to be the perfect environment for the man he formed in their image. What we think little about, and maybe that is because we are so engrossed in our own environment, is how far the expanse is, and that there is water above it. In our modern age of technology, we have people living in the expanse, in close proximity to the earth, and with our great telescopes, we have searched farther into the expanse, but have never come close to reaching its fullness or its end, where there is water. What this tells us about God is that he is bigger than we can even imagine, yet he is extremely personal with us. We cannot even fathom the size of God who lives somewhere above the expanse, yet has this incredible personal touch upon our lives. Then we must consider that he is omnipresent, meaning he is above the expanse and right here with us. How magnificent is God, that he has such a close relationship with us, and can hear us when we talk to him, even in our small voice. How is it that God, who spoke the expanse into being, and by his word, the waters were divided into that which was below and that which was above it, still draws us close to himself? His greatness, his splendor, and his majesty, yet his grace, love, and compassion for us, boggle our minds. We can hardly come close to comprehending how great God is that all he needs to do is speak, and the whole of everything responds, yet he has given us the ability to refuse to respond. How can that be, since our very existence is a result of his work? That is why there is such a great divide among mankind, such a great expanse between those who believe and those who do not. 

The Light

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE LIGHT

Gen 1:1-5

1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.

NIV

As we begin, when life as we know it began with God creating everything that is needed to sustain the life of the man he would form, there are some very interesting truths we should explore again. This is a story we are so familiar with, yet, with the help of the Spirit's inspiration, we can see something new. Because we are told the earth was formless and empty, we understand that the earth simply did not exist yet. The one truth we have some difficulty with is that darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Because we know that God is light, and that from the revelation he gave to John, God is the complete source of light in the new city of Jerusalem that sits on, or entirely fills, the mountain of God. What existed before anything God created all that is, the creator was the depth of the waters, where there was no light. Because of the presence of God, all three of the persons of God, wherever God was, there must have been light, for God is light, and there is no darkness in him. Yet, there was darkness over the surface of the deep where the Spirit of God hovered. Then God spoke; he did not have to wave his hand or do something magical; he just spoke. "Let there be light," and that is what happened; light appeared. How, exactly, did he separate the light from the darkness we cannot fully grasp; however, there is, in some sense, how we can understand the difference between the light and the darkness. Once we lived in the darkness, because we lived apart from God. Although we are always in the presence of God, for he is omnipresent, we refused to acknowledge him and lived according to our own hearts, which were filled with darkness. In some sense, in that darkness, we hovered over the depths of death. However, on the first day of our new lives, God said, "Let there be light," and there was light, and he saw that his light within us was good. He separated the light in us from the darkness that once was. That was the beginning of a new life, a reborn life, being separated from the darkness of night to live in the light of day. Of course, as his light shines upon and within us, it exposes anything that still might linger in the depths of our hearts that should be excommunicated and sent packing. That may not happen on day one, or the first day, but when the light is within, there should be no darkness. Thank you, Lord, for the light.  

Open or Closed

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

OPEN OR CLOSED

Acts 28:23-31

23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

26 "'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'  

28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"   30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

We have arrived at the conclusion of the Acts of the Apostles with Paul in Rome and having another conversation with the Jewish leaders, in fact, with more than the leaders, as we are told a larger number of people came to hear Paul’s views about the kingdom of God. He used their own knowledge of the Law of Moses and the Prophets to show them that Jesus was the Messiah. He tried to convince them, with some understanding of the truth and believing, while others just could not open their hearts and minds to see Jesus. This is always the challenge people face when they come face-to-face with the truth. People hear but never understand. They see but do not perceive, and their hearts are calloused, hardly hearing, with closed eyes, and not seeing the truth about Jesus. Because of the great mercy of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit who broke into our lives, softening the callous on our hearts, opening our ears and eyes so we could understand the gospel message, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, becoming born from above, a new person, a child of God. How can we not live with thanksgiving and a heart filled with gratitude toward God? Because we have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and we understand with our hearts, we have been healed. We have been healed from eternal death and have been given eternal life. When Paul explained everything, with his concluding remarks, the people could not agree; some believed, some did not. Is that the way of the church today? Is that the way of our hearts? Do we all agree on the one basic truth about Jesus? Is it possible that, in some sense, we have closed our hearts, ears, and eyes so that we only hear, see, and understand what we want to, keeping the rest of the truth closed off from us? If we think that might be possible, the question is why. Are we only willing to accept what makes us feel comfortable, sealing off that which would require us to change? Let us face life in Christ with open eyes, ears, and hearts, then we truly will be healed. Are we living open or closed? 

What Are Your Views

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS

Acts 28:17-22

17 Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar — not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." 21 They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."

NIV

With Paul in Rome and allowed to live in a rented house under the protection of a Roman guard, he takes the opportunity to speak to the Jewish leaders. He assured them that he had nothing wrong against the Jewish people or the customs of his and their ancestors. He kept the law in some sense, but at the same time was aware that Jesus had set the first covenant aside to establish the second. However, as far as keeping festivals like the Passover, or the festival of weeks, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. There were many of these Jewish customs, and Paul said he kept them; yet, because he knew the prophets and all that was prophesied about Jesus, and because of his personal encounter with Jesus, he wanted everyone else to experience this new birth, this revelation of the Messiah. The Jewish leaders wanted to hear what Paul had to say because people everywhere were talking against this sect, although it is not a sect, but the truth of God. Times have not changed much, as many people are still talking against what they believe to be a sect, a phony belief that God is real and Jesus actually came to earth, died, and was resurrected. Although there are many who believe God is real in some sense, and because they believe they are a "Good person," they will go to heaven when they die. Throughout the many letters that Paul writes, he makes it clear that being good does not qualify for eternal life; in fact, there is no such thing as Jesus plus anything. Our salvation is entirely due to Jesus, and to him alone. As he declared the truth about the kingdom of God, we will see the results later. But the truth we should take from this narrative is that there are people who want to hear what we have to say, which implies we have something to say and should be saying it. Sure, it is good to gather together to worship, but are we not supposed to be telling our story? Did we not have a personal encounter with Jesus? Then someone needs to hear it, and who are we to decide who that will be? We sing those lyrics, I love to tell the story, but how many times have we told the story of Jesus and his love? Someone wants to know what our views are.

Following Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FOLLOWING JESUS

Acts 28:11-16

11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

NIV

It seems this is just another portion of the travel log; however, it does come to a close as Paul arrives in Rome. Their first landing in what is now Italy was at the city of Puteoli. It is situated on the western coast near the area now called Naples, but the name itself comes from a Latin word meaning "stink”. There was a volcano in the area that gave off a sulfurous odor; thus, the region was named Puteoli. There were brothers in the lord in that area, believers in the Way. This shows that the gospel was being spread throughout, and the church was growing. Certainly, this was the first time Paul had been in this region, so the message of Jesus was moving on, being spread by other believers and reaching new areas, where new local groups of believers sprang up. The gospel continues to reach new people, bringing them hope of eternal life, although we consider it a fact rather than a hope. Paul stayed with these brothers for a week. We do wonder what the Roman Centurion thought about this delay in reaching Rome, given the letter he was bringing to Caesar's court. Paul was still considered a prisoner, yet it appears he decided to stay for a week with the brothers in Puteoli. And so they came to Rome.  When Paul was still in Jerusalem, and there had been such an uproar, and the soldiers were ordered to take Paul into the barracks, the Lord visited him and told him that he had testified in Jerusalem, and now he would testify in Rome, and the Lord made sure Paul arrived safely at Rome. What we can be assured of is that whatever the Lord says will happen, it will happen. Once again, we have the choice, even as believers, or perhaps we should use the term Christian, to follow our own path, or follow the path the Lord has laid out for us. If we consider ourselves as believers, we believe that God directs the way we should go, the places we should be, and the decisions He makes for our lives. That is all wrapped up in the words we profess: "I have decided to follow Jesus." Paul had made that choice, although his following Jesus did not always end up in a bed of roses; there were some thorns along the way. However, there were some rough patches along the way onboard ship, with the storms and being shipwrecked, the Lord made sure Paul arrived in Rome. We might go through a rough patch in life, or we might have smooth sailing, but if we are following Jesus, we will arrive where he wants us to be, both in the eternal and in the present. The key in Paul's life was that he followed the Lord's leading, and that is what we should do: always follow Jesus. 

Focus

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FOCUS

Acts 28:1-10

28:1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

NIV

Two major truths are within this record of what happened with all 276 souls reaching land safely. However, first, we know of this island, Malta, although it was new to those who arrived there. They were met and greeted with kindness by the islanders, and this is when the first truth is given to us. While Paul was helping build the fire, he was attacked by a viper, a snake that must have had deadly venom, because when the islanders saw the snake fastened to Paul's hand, they thought he must have been a murderer and that justice was being served. Why was it like that? When something bad happens to a believer, do people assume they did something wrong and deserve punishment? Of course, our society does have laws, and when they are broken, some form of justice must be served, depending on the severity of the crime, ranging from a speeding ticket to incarceration for crimes against humanity. However, how do we, as believers, handle infractions of God's commands? Do we think justice must be served? Do we think God will punish them in some way? What about his grace? What about his forgiveness? What about his love and mercy? Interestingly, the poisonous snake had no effect on Paul, and the islanders changed their opinion from him being a murderer to a god. We should take our cue from how Paul dealt with the apparent problem. He just shook it off, paid no attention to its danger to him. Maybe that is how we should think regarding anything unpleasant that comes into our lives. We should not focus on the problem, but understand that we are children of God and he will take care of us. That snake would have been deadly for any islander, but for Paul, a man of God, who believed God, who trusted in Jesus, it was of no concern. The second truth is that Paul, still under arrest and a prisoner of Rome, went about healing all who came to him. His personal situation did not preclude him from serving his Lord, being a vessel of blessings to the Islanders. Again, we could take our clue from this truth. No matter our personal situation that we might face, we can still be a vessel of blessings to others. If we spend our time focused on our own situation, complaining to God about our aches and pains, or some infirmity we might be afflicted with, we are not looking for ways to bless others, encouraging them, praying for their healing, or even seeing some difficult time they might be experiencing, reaching out to help them. Paul's life was not all a bed of roses; he had experienced pain and suffering at the hands of men who opposed his message, but even as a prisoner, he lifted up the name of Jesus and healed others. Could we do anything like that? Could we see others' needs over our own? Let us look outward, even in the midst of inner pain. What is our focus? 

Jumping Toward Safety

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

JUMPING TOWARD SAFETY

Acts 27:39-44

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.

NIV

On the surface, this is a record of the attempt to run the ship aground and the subsequent breaking apart of the ship, with all souls making it to shore safely. However, there is an underlying parallel or a metaphor of life in the sea of sin. We could try to sail the open sea of life, but as the 276 souls aboard the ship discovered, storms can take life in a completely opposite direction from the course planned. The Lord had assured Paul that all aboard the ship would be saved, and that is exactly what happened when the ship hit that sandbar, and the stern began to break up as it was being pounded by the surf. Some were able to swim; others used pieces of the broken-up ship to float to the shore, yet all souls were saved. There could be times when it seems our lives are simply being pushed around by some storm, taking us off the course we had planned. But the Lord needed us to run aground, hit a sandbar, and break us apart so that we could swim toward his safety. It might also be possible that although we have already declared ourselves to be Christians and are attempting to live by some standard we believe is scriptural, we could be drifting off course. We have the correct compass for our lives, and we have the Lord standing at the rudder ready to take us on the right course, or path he has planned out for us, but we might want to take hold of that rudder and try to sail our course. That might be when the Lord intervenes with a storm to drive us off our course toward the place he has prepared for us to land safely.  Those onboard the ship, when daybreak came, did not recognize the land. They were headed into an unknown shore. When the light of Jesus came into our lives, we recognized his light, but at the same time, we were sure of where we were headed. Still, it seems we could get distracted by other places along the way, and that is when the Lord needs to take charge of the rudder and steer us to the open shore of heaven. We can hoist the sails, but let us leave the rudder of our lives in the hands of the Lord.  In another sense, we might have to jump ship that we want to steer, and swim to the safety of the shore with Jesus, so that we are jumping toward safety.