Devotion:
Read Acts 9:36-42.
One of the purposes of the book of Acts was to assure the early Church that the ministry of Jesus continued on as powerful as it was when he was physically among them on the earth. The same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus was at work in his followers. (That is still true today.) This story is a prime example of that. I went back and looked up the story of Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8. As in this story, the gathered people were weeping because of her death. Jesus clears the room of everyone except his three disciples and her parents. Then he simply says to the girl “get up” as does Peter to Tabitha in this story.
It had to be tempting in those early days and years after Jesus’ ministry to say “It’s just not like it was when Jesus was here.” Acts tells the story of his followers to emphasize “In a very real sense, he still is here.”
Sometimes it is easy for us to look back on days gone by and say “It’s just not like it used to be” and forget that God is still very much alive and at work in the world. God is always about bringing new life out of what may seem dead in our life and world. You or I may not be given this particular healing power that Peter had, but we can still be the life-giving people of Christ.
Personal Worship Option:
Think about someone you know who is searching for a new sense of life right now. Pray about how God might want to use you to help provide a “springtime” for them.
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