Guest post by Jeanette Andrade
February 28 Scripture Selection: Acts 7:37-60
Food for Thought: Acts 7:60
There is a severe consequence that is put in motion when someone harms a child of God. It is found in the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 when He said, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.” (Remember, His covenants continue for a thousand generations and are still in effect today, and Abraham is our “father” as we were engrafted into the same tree by faith in Jesus (Ps. 105:8, Gal. 3:7).) Examples of interceding for people, in addition to that of Stephen, include Job for his “friends” who were useless to him in his time of most need (Job 42:8); Moses who interceded for his brother and sister after they attempted to usurp his authority (Numbers 12:1-13); and, of course, Jesus Christ Himself when on the cross (Luke 23:34) . It was necessary for Him to intercede specifically for those who were responsible for His crucifixion, or they would have been left out of the opportunity to receive Life through Jesus.
Plenty of other examples can be found in the Word, and, interestingly enough, the Apostle Paul on occasions, did intercede, and then on one occasion, notably did not. In II Tim. 4:14-16, Paul expects the Lord to “reward” Alexander the coppersmith according to his works of much evil that he did against Paul. Just a couple of verses later, he prays that God not lay to the charge of his co-laborers the fact that they had abandoned him when things got tough.
There is something very important about not only forgiving someone for a harm done, but also interceding for him. In order to intercede for someone, you must first have forgiven him in your heart. Most of us can get to the point of forgiving someone, but love may compel us to go a step further, following the example of our predecessors, and intercede for that person.
Digging Deeper (What scriptures can further enhance today’s reading?):
Getting Personal (What has God shown you in today’s reading?):
Confession of Faith (Example: Lord, based on Mat. 1:21 and 23, I understand that Jesus is God, and I receive Him as my personal Lord and Savior.):
Important Events on This Day (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.):
suyts space 
Intercessory prayer is one of the most powerful tools given to Christians.
It is easy to intercede, in prayer, for those we love / like.
…..”forgive us our trespasses, as [ much ] as we forgive our trespassers”.
Reblogged this on Climate Ponderings.
Wow, what a powerful speech! When I read this passage, I can’t help but note the Spirit of God in these words. It’s very reminiscent of what we recently read, from Christ, in Matthew 23.
And, we see yet another fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy.
It’s interesting to note where and how Stephen ended his discourse on Jewish history, and then began to speak in the current.
From there, the nation of Israel crumbled into ruin. Prophet after prophet, God sent his messengers to the people to bring them back to God. And, they persecuted them. And killed them. And so it continued with Stephen. Stephen knew this was going to happen. What saintly grace he showed in his death!
But, you notice what he was saying and what he doing? He was utterly destroying the Sanhedrin . He stripped them of any legitimate authority they were pretending to have. They had their temple, which they supposed God lived. But, Stephen demonstrates it was just for show, because God made all things. The earth is his footstool! They had their law. But, Stephen demonstrates how they have not kept it! It wasn’t theirs to keep! They had rejected the Spirit of God over and over again.
Why? Because, you can’t keep the law without God. And we can’t be with God, without Christ. The law and the temple is meaningless without Christ. I think we should all take the time to reflect upon this and see how this might apply to many of us, today. We have our rules, and our motions we go through. But, are we keeping with the Spirit of God? Are we stiff-necked? Are we proud and inflexible? Does are inflexibility prevent us, like the Sanhedrin, from seeing and embracing the Spirit of God? Well, I’m sure most readers here are not like the Sanhedrin. But, I find it useful to always stop and reflect on what I’m doing and whether or not I’m still on the right path, or am I just walking in circles with my rules and motions.
I don’t know why, but, this Dolly Parton song came to mind while I was contemplating the Word. So, I’ll share!
“Because, you can’t keep the law without God. And we can’t be with God, without Christ. “
AMEN
GREAT SONG 🙂
Thank you for the Word and the song!!!