Thursday, January 10, 2008

Thurs., 1/10/08 Devotion (Acts 10:28b)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 10:28b, where we read these words:

" . . . But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean."

These words of Peter (above), are good for us to live by. With the dawn of the New Covenant church there is no longer any such thing as "ceremonial uncleanness." All people--be they Jews or Gentiles--are, by virtue of their being in Adam, sinful (and therefore, unclean). But no person is unclean as a result of ethnicity, race, or religious background.

The consequences of this truth are dramatic: people from *every* nation, ethnicity, etc., *will* be gathered into the one church, and they will be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Let us view all people as potential recipients of the gospel--and let us do what we can to get it to them.

[Puritan quote of the day: "[Christ] would not have needed to stoop so low to save angels as humans." --John Bunyan, in "All Loves Excelling"]