“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God!” Acts 16:25a

As we read these stories from the Book of Acts, it makes us wonder what is wrong with us. Here they are, Paul and Silas going around the neighborhood doing what we all do, we tell those around us all about the Good News of our Lord Jesus. Well, maybe not exactly. Acts 16 tells us that one day Paul and Silas set a young woman free from a spirit of divination. Her affliction did little or nothing for this young woman, but it did make a lot of money for her owners who kept her as their slave. But these missionaries of God’s Son saw what was happening and asked God to set her free from the divination. It is God’s Son Jesus and Jesus alone who can set us free,  Free from all those little demons that hold us captive to little things that will not let us live free.

Little things, you know like the things you just can’t admit even to yourself, and certainly not to your preacher. Little things like the time when the cashier at Public missed a can of peaches while you were checking out your groceries. She only charged you for one can of peaches instead of the two cans you put on the belt along with all your groceries. You justify your action by thinking Public makes a lot more money than I do. There are always times when we just have to help correct a mistake, even if made in our favor. Why? Because I believe in Jesus and I must do what Jesus would do since he does live in me. This little motto works in every way and in every situation. It is what makes us free from not feeling good about whom or what I am.

This leads me to share a thought I have been recently thinking about. Do we know what Jesus would look like if he were alive living in our world today? Would he be tall or short, with lots of hair or no hair? Would he be a man or a woman? Well, the answer would depend on what we look like? Take a moment to think about it, if we believe in Jesus then he would be alive living in us. Right! Now if we believe in Him then He would look just like us because He is alive in us! In our faith we are able to say yes, I know because Jesus would look just like me. I believe this because of my faith in Jesus. He therefore lives in me! Hello my many good friends, living in Jesus.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You who created life and the world upon which we live, You come to us especially through Jesus Your Eternal Son, may Your Spirit live and abide in us, that we may do what You would do and be what You would have us be by living in us. Amen.