PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Monday

Scripture lesson: Acts 11:1-11 Peter defends himself

Time to reflect: There are always those that want to exclude. Those who want to keep to the old ways. Those who want to operate from clear and traditional rules. Unfortunately, God doesn't seem to work this way. This is only one of many example stories from Bible of God's unwillingness to be limited by humans.

Moving Through The Day: Do you find yourself clinging to practices or ideas that limit the work of God? Pray for the ability to set aside that which is not helpful.

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them."

 Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.'

 "I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

 "The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

 "Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.