Sonshine's Journal

Paul speaks to the Corinthians about their new life in Christ which is summed up in this verse: “Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Three steps in the new life in Christ. First is the washing of your sins away by the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Second is the sanctification by the Holy Spirit which means “to separate from profane things and dedicated to God., which is an ongoing process.” Thirdly now that you are washed and in the process of sanctification, you are justified which means you are prepared declared righteous to meet the Lord either now or in the life to come. 

Which step are you on? Where are you in your spiritual walk? To have completed all three you are now declared a saint of God, declared righteous. 

Do you find that the news of the day is somewhat overwhelming and scary? Sometimes that happens to me and it is then that I turn to Jesus and His Word where I read this promise: “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

What did Paul mean by the end? End of the world? End of your life? End of a dream? No matter what Paul was referring to, the promise is for those who are washed and sanctified in the blood of Jesus Christ. He will strengthen us for the battle that we face. Paul not only wrote those words but also wrote that we must put on our whole armor so we can stand firm to the end. We can only be strong when we are dressed for the battle. 

What a great reading today as we stop and thank God for each of you. John wrote to the church in Thessalonica,  “We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly in our prayers” And that is what I do each day as I stop to thank God for those who serve here at Bible.org or beyond. Being in ministry means being thankful and pray a blessing on them from the Lord. 

For whom or what are you thankful today? 

It seems that what goes around comes around. Lately, we have experienced great havoc and turmoil within our communities over those who preach the gospel message, which they call hate. This is not new; when Paul preached, the same thing happened, as we read in these chapters. The Holy Spirit rightly proves that the underlying reason is jealousy. While this is sad, we know that in the days ahead, we will begin to see this same response. Strong’s defines this as: to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, or anger. As one allows this to fester, a mob often forms and seeks to turn towns or cities upside down. It is happening today, and peace-loving individuals seek to understand the reason behind these actions. The Holy Spirit reveals that, behind these actions, individuals are jealous.

Jealousy over what we ask? In Paul’s day, it was because he preached Christ crucified and risen. Today, it is no different. To preach Christ in this way, unbelievers are jealous. Their charges reveal their hardened hearts, and behind it is this truth: the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so they will see the light of the gospel and the glorious image of Christ. [2 Cor 4:4]

Perservere in speaking the truth just as Paul did. God will take care of those who are jealous; your job is to preach and remain firm in your faith.

Paul begins this letter by rehearsing his calling from Jesus Christ to be His servant to preach the gospel message to the Gentiles. Just as Ezra was called in Susa to go back to Jerusalem, and Daniel was called in Jerusalem to be God’s servant in Babylon and Mary was called as she lived in Nazareth, so God calls those He will use to speak by revelation or by word. They were called by God’s grace and peace which Paul rehearses through his many letters. In fact, that has to be his one favorite thought.  Grace is unmerited favor and peace is that which God gives as a blessing and a gift to those He chooses. Today stop and consider this thought: where did God call you and for what reason? God called Paul to preach. God called Ezra to take His word to a lost city who were far away from God. God called Mary to carry His Son to fulfill prophecy. Where were you when God called you and for what purpose? 

Beloved reader, you were called to disciple others per Christ’s command: go and make disciples. Are you fulfilling that role. Tell me about it. 

Have you ever heard this phrase: he rubs me the wrong way? When that happens do you repeat it over and over to the ears of others? It seems that Paul and Barnabas had a falling out because of John Mark. We aren’t told what it was about but just to say, it seems that John Mark rubbed Paul the wrong way. Because of that interchange, Barnabas and John Mark left Paul’s company and went to Cyprus. But, God did not leave Paul alone but took Silas with him. Whatever happened between these fellow Christians never was talked about again. There is a lesson for us here. When there are disagreements between fellow believers, step aside and let God handle this and NEVER pass on the problem to another otherwise it becomes gossip. 

So what happened as a result of this interchange? It seems that God used this separation to multiply the gospel message to others. God brought good out of what others would say was wrong or bad. So when you find you are rubbing another the wrong way, step aside and let God handle the problem for you for you never know what might happen as a result just like with Paul and Barnabas. 

Our arch enemy has in his quiver the deadly D’s of his trade which includes doubting. Thomas was accused of that trait, but when he met Jesus all that trait vanished. So too the half brother of our Lord knew this as he began to write to those in the dispersion. He illustrated it with the picture of a raging sea. He told his readers that a doubter is not only like a raging sea but is also a fool that has lost control of decision making. He also reminded them that if you continue on that path, you cannot expect God to direct your steps prudently. So the question is where are you on the path of life? James reminds the reader that if one lacks wisdom, he should ask God for He alone gives wisdom to deter us from being a fool. The psalmist also wrote to his readers that fools deny there is a God so beware of that as well. 

So today I went to see how this new Ai explains this trait and here is what I found: In the Bible, doubt is portrayed as a wavering lack of confidence in God, which can manifest as a spiritual weakness for believers or a more profound state of unbelief for non-believers. It is often depicted as being “driven and tossed by the wind,” representing instability, but it is not always seen as a sin to be shamed, as shown by Jesus’s interaction with Thomas, who struggled with doubt but was still shown compassion. The Bible encourages believers to overcome doubt by asking God for wisdom and asking in faith, while also acknowledging that many biblical figures wrestled with doubt. 

Doubting is definitely at the top of the deadly d list. What do you think about this explanation? Are you a doubter? 

As we read this account, we are immediately asking why did God wait for so long to show Paul what He meant when He told Ananias that Paul would face many things the rest of his life. Sometimes God calls us to a ministry and it happens right then, but mostly when God calls us to do a work, He waits until the proper time. For Paul it was some time since he had been in Jerusalem and then on to Antioch but still God had not made it clear when it was time. In the meantime, he waited and waited. That is how it is for us. We sense God calling us to ministry but we have to wait for His timing. So if you feel or hear the Holy Spirit calling you, do not despair but wait patiently for His timing. 

Where is God calling you today? Perhaps it is for a time of prayer or a time to minister. Whatever it is, wait for the Holy Spirit to make the time known.

It is interesting to read these chapters about Peter, the one who denied our Lord and is now a spokesperson for Him. When God captures the heart of a man,there is no turning back. We sing on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross but in Peter’s case it is in an upper room in Jerusalem that God grabbed this man and rewired his heart and mind. He will go on to preach the first sermon at Pentecost and is now the first person to see the conversion of a Gentile. But, not all is well with other Christians in Jerusalem. When Peter returns from Caesarea, he is rebuked by the other believers. Does this seem odd to you? Segregation was alive and well even in the newborn church and continues even today, unfortunately. Thus, the Holy Spirit challenges us through the conversion of a gentile to see that God sovereignly calls all people to Himself and sometimes it takes a rude awakening to do so. 

As Peter recalls his enlightening evening with Cornelius, the whispers in Jerusalem are stopped and instead we hear rejoicing! Jesus said when one is saved even the angels rejoice!  Don’t let the whispers of the naysayers keep you from sharing the gospel good news for you might hear the angels rejoicing! 

What say you about this story Dr. Luke has penned for us? 

The two stories of two men whom Dr. Luke has chosen to enter here shows us that although we do not seek Jesus, He seeks us. One man was raging mad and thought only of his personal righteousness but the other knew he was unrighteous but did not know how to rectify that. Enter Jesus Christ to bring salvation to both and then to bring salvation to others. 

When Jesus sought you out where were you? On a road to bring destruction to others whom you thought were unrighteous and you were so very righteous?Jesus brought Saul to his knees in a vision and he was thoroughly transformed by the love of Jesus. The other man, a centurion, was seeking salvation through works but Jesus wanted him to know that salvation is not by works so that no one would boast. 

It is because of these two men that Christ came to bring salvation to both Jew and Gentile and the world and a disciple were forever changed. Truly this is the news of the day: Luk 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” 

Where were you when Jesus came to seek you and transform your life? Share with me and others your transformation and what it has meant to you and others.