DAY ONE - Withholding
Acts 5:1-11
The lie that Ananias and Sapphira told is interesting. It doesn't say they were asked for an offering of a certain amount, or that they were told to sell their possession (or piece of property) and give all the proceeds to the apostles. It says that they simply told the apostles that the amount of money they were giving was the entire sum they received in the sale. To the apostles, it mattered little. But this act of withholding mattered very much to the Lord. He doesn't want only a portion of our lives or hearts, he wants us to willingly lay it all at his feet.
DAY TWO - A haven for healing
Acts 5:12-16
Solomon's porch was a part of the ancient temple in Jerusalem. People came from all over to rest in the shadow of the temple and (literally) in the shadow of their beloved leader, Peter. Although with the Holy Spirit given (Acts 1:5) they did not need to be in the physical presence of the temple or the apostles in order to participate in the gospel of Jesus Christ, there was something obviously soothing about the nearness to a holy place and spirit-filled leaders. Those who were physically or spiritually ailing came in droves for healing by Peter in the temple.
We mothers are Peter, and our homes are the temple. Our children should be drawn back to us and our homes time and time again, for a constant healing after exposure to the harshness of the world. As the gap between our values and the world's values widens, they will be hit over and over again from the moment they step foot out of our home until the moment they return.
What can we do to make our homes a haven, a place of healing? How can we make sure that our shadows passing over our children is something they look for? Look around our homes. What can we change to increase the spiritual and peaceful atmosphere? What do we need to change about our own behaviours so that our children seek us out for the calm serenity we emanate?
We mothers are Peter, and our homes are the temple. Our children should be drawn back to us and our homes time and time again, for a constant healing after exposure to the harshness of the world. As the gap between our values and the world's values widens, they will be hit over and over again from the moment they step foot out of our home until the moment they return.
What can we do to make our homes a haven, a place of healing? How can we make sure that our shadows passing over our children is something they look for? Look around our homes. What can we change to increase the spiritual and peaceful atmosphere? What do we need to change about our own behaviours so that our children seek us out for the calm serenity we emanate?
DAY THREE - When we've epically blown it
Acts 5:12:16
This is the same passage as yesterday, but there were such great ideas jumping from the pages I wanted to come back to it.
In these verses we get a picture of this new church - it's new and fresh and growing and exciting. Signs and wonders are being done in the name of the Lord, multitudes of people are joining the believers, healings are taking place, faith is exploding. And in the middle of all this is Peter. Peter who sank in the sea because of his lack of faith. Peter who cut off a guard's ear. Peter who denied ever knowing Jesus at his friend's darkest hour, who not just denied, but cursed him and swore against him. Now he has become so full of the spirit that people come just in hopes of having his shadow fall on them. I wonder if, at quiet times, his past ever crept up and haunted the deep recesses of his mind. I wonder if he hurt, wept, at those times he blew it in epic proportions.
Do we have moments in our past when we've epically blown it? I bet when those mistakes were fresh in Peter's life he could never have hoped to lead the followers of Jesus in such a magnificent way. Do we think that we will not be able to rise to the occasion as mothers, as women, because of mistakes in our past? Do we see other women and shrug our shoulders and say we could never have that kind of home and life because we have failed in the past?
In Old Testament times, sin offerings were a moment when a person was able to say "this sacrifice at this moment is for this sin." They would lie the offering on the altar and then walk away with the reassurance that that sin had been paid for and no longer was being held over their head. With Jesus presenting himself as the ultimate sacrifice, we don't offer literal sacrificial offerings in the same way. But it also means we don't have a marker of the moment we are set free from sin and mistakes of the past.
If we have something that still haunts us, use today as a marker that that sin has been paid for and no longer needs to hold you back. Write in your journal:
"On this day, _______________, I am laying this mistake on the altar of Jesus' sacrifice. The price has been paid in full. There is no judgement that remains."
In these verses we get a picture of this new church - it's new and fresh and growing and exciting. Signs and wonders are being done in the name of the Lord, multitudes of people are joining the believers, healings are taking place, faith is exploding. And in the middle of all this is Peter. Peter who sank in the sea because of his lack of faith. Peter who cut off a guard's ear. Peter who denied ever knowing Jesus at his friend's darkest hour, who not just denied, but cursed him and swore against him. Now he has become so full of the spirit that people come just in hopes of having his shadow fall on them. I wonder if, at quiet times, his past ever crept up and haunted the deep recesses of his mind. I wonder if he hurt, wept, at those times he blew it in epic proportions.
Do we have moments in our past when we've epically blown it? I bet when those mistakes were fresh in Peter's life he could never have hoped to lead the followers of Jesus in such a magnificent way. Do we think that we will not be able to rise to the occasion as mothers, as women, because of mistakes in our past? Do we see other women and shrug our shoulders and say we could never have that kind of home and life because we have failed in the past?
In Old Testament times, sin offerings were a moment when a person was able to say "this sacrifice at this moment is for this sin." They would lie the offering on the altar and then walk away with the reassurance that that sin had been paid for and no longer was being held over their head. With Jesus presenting himself as the ultimate sacrifice, we don't offer literal sacrificial offerings in the same way. But it also means we don't have a marker of the moment we are set free from sin and mistakes of the past.
If we have something that still haunts us, use today as a marker that that sin has been paid for and no longer needs to hold you back. Write in your journal:
"On this day, _______________, I am laying this mistake on the altar of Jesus' sacrifice. The price has been paid in full. There is no judgement that remains."
DAY FOUR - Jealousy
Acts 5:17-21
When the Sadducees (a group of wealthy religious leaders) saw Peter's ministry and followers, it says they were "filled with indignation" (vs 17) - jealous, envy or malice. The complex emotions that arise from the one root of jealousy are astonishing:
Jealous: A feeling or showing of envy of someone or their achievements and advantages. Showing suspicion of someone else's behaviour. Fiercely protective or vigilant of one's rights or possessions.
Envy: a feeling of discontented or resentful longing, a desire to have a quality, possession or other desirable attribute belonging to someone else.
Malice: the intention to do evil or ill will.
Reading all these definitions creates a clear picture of just what is happening in our hearts when we feel jealousy.
Let's look at these verses from two angles:
1. When the Sadducees felt jealous of Peter, they threw him in jail. When we feel jealous of someone (their person, their possessions, their situation), do we metaphorically throw them in prison? Do we lock them out of our lives, not wanting to develop of friendship or benefit from the positive things they could bring us?
2. When the Sadducees were jealous of Peter and threw him in jail, Peter ignored them completely. When he was in jail, the angel didn't appear and tell Peter how to go back and put the Sadducees in their place. Peter would have been well within his right (and would have had scriptural examples to back him up) to return to those men and denounce their unrighteous behaviour. Instead, the angel simply opens the prison doors and charges them to continue on in their work of teaching the gospel to the people. When someone is jealous of us, how can we ignore the barbs and continue on in our holy calling of motherhood?
Are there situations in our lives right now that reflect either of these circumstances in relation to jealousy? How have we reacted so far? What do we need to do (if anything) to change our behaviour? Or, how has the right attitude toward jealousy benefitted us?
DAY FIVE - Your message to others
Acts 5:21-42
Peter was twice given the the charge to stop teaching about Jesus, and both times when released from prison he immediately returned to teaching about Jesus. He had a message he was inspired to share and nothing was going to get in his way.
What message as a mom do you feel inspired to share with other moms? If you're not sure what it might be, think about your mothering trials and triumphs. Often our passions grow out of the experiences we have had, things we have faced and conquered and now want to help others who are struggling in the same way. Maybe you have a shy child who you want to help make friends? A baby who won't sleep? A way to keep your marriage in focus? A way to not lose who you are as a person separate from the role of mother?
Pray to know how God wants you to inspire others. Pray about who you can be a mentor to, and equally who could be a mentor to you. If you struggle in sharing your message, keep in mind the words of Gamaliel, Peter's adversary: "If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it." If God wants you to share or do something, nothing will stand in your way.
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