“The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he […]
05/10/23 Daily Devotion – Let’s pray!
“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” (Acts 12:5, NIV84) I marvel at the spiritual maturity of this young Christian church. It had begun to experience heavy persecution. Even though Saul (Paul) had been converted to the faith, the persecution persisted from the Roman Empire and the […]
05/09/23 Daily Devotion – A contrast of the two kingdoms
“But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ‘Tell James and the brothers about this,’ he said, and then he left for another place. In the […]
05/08/23 Daily Devotion – Be mindful of the enemy!
“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.” (Acts 12:1–3, […]
05/07/23 Daily Devotion – We are ‘Christ’ians!
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11:25–26 (NIV84) I sure wish I had been there! […]
05/06/23 Daily Devotion – ‘Then I remembered what the Lord said!’
“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as He had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as He gave us, who believed […]
05/05/23 Daily Devotion – God does NOT show favoritism!
“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.’” (Acts 10:34, NIV84) This had to be tough to say. It came from a man who was raised in a culture of people who described themselves as God’s “chosen” people. When this encounter with Cornelius was over, Peter […]
05/04/23 Daily Devotion – God works through our obedience!
“So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your […]
05/03/23 Daily Devotion – Jesus changed everything!
“‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’” (Acts 10:14–15, NIV84) The Gentile soldier, Cornelius, had had the vision that he needed to send messengers to Peter. At the same time, Peter was […]
05/02/23Daily Devotion – God reaches out to the faithful!
“One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering […]
