Day 6! Half way through the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge.
Is it still challenging for you?
How is it going? What are you learning? What is God saying to you?
Are you being changed?
Please leave a comment below to share with us all your experiences in the Challenge.
I had a difficult day yesterday. I gave a little but not really as sacrificially as I would have liked. However, that’s OK. I was ready for God’s call and answered it when it came. God doesn’t have to call me to anything huge, I am satisfied with whatever He gives me to do whether it seems big or small.
I was reading in Acts last night and read something that has never jumped out at me before but which really spoke to me this time:
Peter and John were taken before the Sanhedrin to explain why they preached and healed in Jesus’ name. Eventually they were flogged and told to stop preaching the good news and Luke, the writer, reports the following:
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Acts 5:41 (NIV)
WOW!
They rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace. Can you comprehend that?
How many times have you worried about what people might say or do or think of you? How many times has your pride got in the way of you serving God?
Peter and John were disgraced in front of the people by being publicly humiliated and reprimanded by the Sanhedrin but they considered that to be a good thing. They believed that it was an honor for God to find them worthy of suffering disgrace. They figured that it meant they were doing something right!
Do you avoid public disgrace or humiliation? Are you afraid of being embarrassed?
Maybe today you can give up your pride and be prepared to suffer disgrace for the glory of God!
Great Post as usual Peter!!
I have been amazed by the things that God has brought for me to do the last 6 days. Each day He has presented things for me to do. Today I went to buy study guide materials for a bible study that a young man we know is having. He just recently was saved and is on fire for the Lord. He is having a bible study with all his unsaved friends and one of those friends is one of our sons. Praise God!! While I was at the bookstore I picked up an extra card. I wrote a note in it about Gods gift of salvation and put a gospel tract it it. At lunch time I drove through the Taco Bell drive through and paid for the womens lunch in the car behind me. The lady taking the money brought 3 other workers to the window, they were all curious why I was paying for someones lunch I didn’t know. I had them give the lady behind me the card. I’m sure Taco Bell is buzzing about it…
God Bless!!
Sherri,
Wow!
Let me say that again… Wow!
I was able to help out a friend today and it was good to see him and chat a bit before he headed home for the holidays.
I am praying daily for the patience to get through the commercialness of the season with a servant’s heart.
Andy,
I love the simplicity of that!
That’s giving two things: 1) your time and 2) your physical or mental ability to do what was required.
You sacrificed your time and gave of the gifts God has given you!
It’s so simple and so easy and yet I am sure that it pleases God to see you do it!
I also love the reminder you gave us:
God has this amazing way of giving us things to do which we actually enjoy. There are times when we struggle to find the joy in the task we have been given but God is a loving God and so often we find that we can’t help loving what He calls us to do.
God is a great task-master and I praise him that He called you to do something which not only helped your friend out but also enabled you to see and chat with him before he went away!