Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3.

Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” Matthew 11:25.

The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. Psalm 33:18.

This morning in our Friday Zoom Retreat, we shared that there are things that bring us distress whether things of the world or of concerns for loved ones undergoing extreme stresses in health and life. And then we talked about the Spiritual Practice of Welcoming Prayer. When I am in distress, I let those stresses overwhelm me from within; and to have a name for something that reminds me to bring Jesus, the Son, in, opens a better way for me to handle this life I have been given, with all of its facets of experiences and emotions good and bad. Later in prayer He reminded me that there is one constant – His Love – and that is not in my control…to welcome Him into the changes and happenings I live, to welcome His Love to gird me, to welcome His Love to guide me faithfully, to welcome this love we share and to welcome joy even in the midst of uncertainty…to welcome Him as He is welcoming me.

And reading our chapter, Acts 13, is to walk further with Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, as His work for us is being done. Even as the people of the church in Antioch were living and tending to the needs of the people there, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper. v. 1-5. In the note to the side it said John Mark. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord. v. 6-12. They continue to travel to Pisidian Antioch and on the Sabbath went into the synagogue and after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, were asked if they would speak to the people gathered there, v. 13-15. So Paul spoke…“Men of Israel, and you who fear God listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance – all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers…that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My son; today I have begotten You.’ (Psalm 2:7) As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: ‘Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish; For I am accomplishing a work in your days, a work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’” v. 16-41. Can we understand how different this was from all they expected to happen? But many kept begging that they continue to speak the following Sabbath. The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’ v. 44-47. Googling that verse, I came to Isaiah and read a bit back for understanding…And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and My God is My strength), He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:5-6. Can you imagine? Nearly the whole city is listening…When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. v. 48-49. Not all were happy and they incited others to drive Paul and Barnabas out of their district, but no one could stop the work of the Holy Spirit nor the joy of those filled with the Holy Spirit.

Things were changing dramatically then in the way they thought God would act, just as with Creator God today and tomorrow, things change in His will and His timing for us, His children dearly loved. What about today? Are things changing faster than we can comprehend? Do they ultimately help us to see we have no control over them? Can we invite God in and welcome Him into our hearts as we experience things we have no preparation for? Disease, illness, loss of anything we depended upon…peace of mind. Can we welcome Him in to our prayers for what is at stake – our healing with Him with us. My hope is in His unfailing Love…the one constant that can never be changed by us and only expanded and enlarged as we trust Him for all things. Another quote I wrote yesterday from Open Table conference…”History is the stage on which the church is struggling to catch up with the ever-expanding boundaries of God’s Love.” Lord may Your Love be ever expanding – and help us understand and rejoice greatly in You from Whom all blessings flow!