Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the prophet Agabus prophesies in Artioch about a large famine that will impact many regions under theRoman Empire. This famine impacts the Jerusalem church as well, sothe believers in Antioch put together financial and material supportthat Barnabas and Paul take back to Jerusalem. - P100
This passage showone church helping another during hard times. In the same way, we towhom God has given much should help other believers who may needour support. - P100
We should freely give what we can since Christ has freelygiven His life for us. - P100
After all, the global body of Christ is comprised oflocal churches, all united in our mission to glorify our Lord. - P100
Sometimes, God gives us bright days. We can clearly see the light andfeel the warmth of the risen Son. Other times, God gives us dark days.
- P101
In the darkness and hardships, we may not see or feel the power of theSon‘s resurrection. But on these days when we cannot see what Godcan see, we still have the privilege of knowing that God promises to befaithful to His plan to redeem a broken world through His Son JesusChrist who died for our sins-and rose again! - P101
That is why even on thedarkest days, when you feel cold and miserable, you can find comfortin the arms of Jesus and warmth in His light. - P101
Dear heavenly Father, I praise You for Your faithfulness to Your people. I repentof any posture of selfishness in my life. I thank You for saving me and ask forstrength to be generous as You are generous. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P101
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death withthe sword.
3 When he saw that this met with approval among theJews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happenedduring the Festival of Unleavened Bread. - P102
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. - P102
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the houseof Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, wheremany people had gathered and were praying. - P103
King Herod arrests and imprisons Peter because he sees that the Jews approveof this. The church prays for Peter. - P103
The night before Peter‘s trial, an angelappears and leads him out of the prison. Once Peter is outside, he knows Godhas rescued him from Herod and the Jews who had ill intentions toward him.
He goes to Mary‘s house, where people are praying. - P103
Thepassage opens on a shocking and sorrowful scene: King Herodpersecutes the believers and kills the apostle James, brother of John.
- P104
This wins Herod the approval of the Jews, so he also imprisons Peter.
Amid this intense persecution, the believers‘ immediate response isprayer. - P104
This story emphasizes how the growth of the church, even un-der oppression, is due to God‘s active care and involvement. - P104
We mustembody this truth in our sufferings as well. In our sorrow, God is stillworking things out for our good. So, let us earnestly cling to Him inprayer. - P104
We may lose much but our losses do not take God by surprise.
He has promised that no part of our suffering for Christgoes unnoticedor unrewarded. - P104
Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with Jesus. Simply put,
prayer is communicating with God. - P105
Many today might think thatprayer is reserved for the religious, but prayer is embedded in our verynature- the very first humans walked and spoke with God. The firstbiblical record of people praying to God as we pray today is found inGenesis 4:26, "At that time people began to call on the name of theLORD."
- P105
Praying can be difficult. Perhaps you barely pray because you feel youcan manage life‘s challenges by relying on yourself-no need to askGod for help. - P105
Or perhaps you think prayer is ineffective because youhave not received what you have prayed for. Then again, you mightbut cannot find time for it amid a busy schedule. - P105
Or youwant to praymight be reluctant to pray for fear of having to face your own sins. - P105
Regardless of the reasons why we are not praying, the writings of theapostle Paul help us see prayer in a healthier way. We pray to expressthanks to God (Col. 1:3). We pray to ask God to help others (Col.
1:9), and we can also ask others to pray for us (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1).
- P105
Lastly, Scripture encourages us to pray continually, without ceasing(Rom. 12:12; 1 Thess. 5:17). A prayerful life replenishes our souls andis also one of the ways we show love to other believers. - P105
Dear Lord, I adore You as my loving and caring Father. I confess that I some-times rely more on myself than on You. I ask for Your forgiveness and for aprayerful heart that seeks You daily. May You be glorified in my life! In Jesus‘
name, amen. - P105
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