Welcome!
Date: Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Today: God’s will, God’s way
Passage: Acts 10:15 NIV
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
God was trying to speak to Peter, while he was praying (Acts 10)
Peter went into a trance while praying
God was trying to get this message out into the heart of Peter, that he had to start the ministry to the gentiles
Peter was very comfortable with what he was doing
God told him that it was time for him to throw his net in the unfamiliar place!
Usually, a fisherman will never cast his net in an unfamiliar place
Peter knew Jews in and out; but gentiles…? He had no plans at all!
God showed him some unclean animals in a vision, and asked him to eat them
Peter said, “No way!”
God said, “eat”; because God had declared them clean
Peter again rejected God’s plea
Everyone goes through some struggle like that, in life and ministry
Moses, Jacob, Isaiah, Jeremiah, ….the list goes on
Many are willing to do things in their our way and convenience, for God
But there are times when God will say, “You do my things my way, not yours”
Understanding God’s will is very important. It is easy to preach, but not easy to practice God’s will
When we don’t really understand God’s will, it’s not only that we will get into trouble, but also that we will drag others into trouble as well
We need to ask God before starting anything major. Things may look good in our eyes, but “Is it God’s will?” is what we need to ask first
Paul was once taken as a captive, in a ship (Acts 27). God told Paul that the journey was going to end in a big trouble. He shared it with the concerned officials, but they didn’t care. The weather seemed fine, so they went ahead
They got into big trouble in that journey. The ship broke and the 276 people aboard were floating in the water. However, God made even that trouble for good, because Paul did not rebel against God’s will. Paul had a great ministry in that Island of Malta
On the other hand, if it was a missionary journey or something and if Paul had intentionally went against God’s will, he would have ended in a big trouble himself
These days, we find very few of God’s people who have patience to ask for God’s will before they proceed for major things in life. When we rush, we leave God behind
In Acts 10, we see Peter finally accepting God’s call to go the house of Cornelius
There was great reception for Peter, as well as for the word he preached there. The entire family believed in Jesus and were baptized
If we are willing to sacrifice our pride and ego, if we are willing to associate with all types of people regardless of color, caste and economic status, God will do great things in and through us
“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
On the other hand,
“Do not call anything pure that God has declared unclean.”
It is time to examine ourselves, on both the above
Are we diluting God’s word and calling things O.K, when God has said they are not O.K?
God bless you, as you meditate on this thought
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to understand and accept your will in all areas of my life and ministry. Amen