Dorcas // Women of the Bible

Dorcas, The Generous Disciple

"Dorcas is named for the gazelle, a small, graceful and swift antelope known for its radiant, glowing eyes. Dorcas (Gk.) or Tabitha (Heb. or Aram.) was apparently well named. Dorcas, a Hellenist or Jewess who lived among the Greeks and spoke the Greek language, had become a Christian. Luke, the author of Acts calls her a Christian "disciple," the first and only time in the New Testament this title is used to describe a woman.

Dorcas lived in Joppa, a beautiful city situated on the Mediterranean coast, thirty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem. Being a seacoast city, Joppa saw numerous husbands and fathers depart into the dangers of perilous waters. Many men never returned from the sea, and they left behind them bereaved and destitute widows and orphans. Dorcas had a heart for the Lord. She had loving eyes that saw another’s most urgent need.

With skilled fingers, this disciple put her faith into everyday action. She stitched beautiful garments (see Pr 31:13,20) and distributed them generously to the city’s widows and children, the most pitiful victims of shipwrecks and storms. Joppa's residents loved Dorcas for her continual humble but worthwhile deeds of kindness and charity.

After Dorcas became sick and died, her grieving friends prepared her body for burial, then sent two men to nearby Lydda to fetch the apostle Peter. Peter came quickly. When he entered the upper chamber where the lifeless body lay, he saw the many widows wearing the garments Dorcas had sewn. Asking them to leave, Peter knelt and prayed. He said, “Tabitha, get up.” Taking her hand, Peter lifted her up and called her beloved friends to welcome her back to life.

What a celebration that must have been! The seacoast city of Joppa was no longer the same after Dorcas returned to life. Upon hearing and seeing the miracle of the living Dorcas, many turned to the Lord and believed. No doubt this generous disciple, gifted with skilled fingers and a heart for the Lord, picked up her needle and thread and continued her compassionate and benevolent ministry to all who lived around her.

How often does a woman offer the most meaningful service to God by doing what seems to be the least important thing to the world?"

See Acts 9:36-42

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This was in my devotions tonight. It inspired me and I wanted to post it here.

I want to become a woman of God like Dorcas (Tabitha). To have a character of such humility, faith and generosity. Even if we don't possess great skill or riches, if we allow God to use what little we can offer, it will be more than enough.

Have you ever heard the saying... "Little is much when God is in it"?

Well, I sure believe that!

Reaping What You Sow

That was the topic of the sermon at church yesterday. It is a familiar phrase; I'm sure we've all heard it said, and perhaps even said it ourselves. But how often do people actually think about it?

Like the man who sowed good seed in the parable of Matthew 13:24-30, we too have to sow good seed. Not literal seeds -- but seeds of faith. When we sow spiritual things, we will in turn reap spiritual things. For example, time with God could be something you 'sow'. Only good can come from time spent with God: you will reap peace, guidance, deliverance, strength... and on and on and on.

You cannot be a successful Christian if you don't discipline yourself. If you become lazy in sowing, you will never get closer to the Lord and grow in the knowledge of Him. If you desire your life to bear fruit (the wheat to mature), you must put in the effort.

It is so easy to let things slide, but today is the time to make the decision to put God first, above anything else. I want to grow in my faith, to draw closer to my Jesus. No, I'm not perfect. But I'm surrendering my desires into His hands.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." ~Psalm 37:4

The desire of my heart is just to know Him more.

Oh, I just feel so blessed to know and feel His love. He loves me so much. He loves you. Let's invite the Holy Spirit to take full control of every single aspect of our lives. I want to be in the Presence of the S-O-N-light, growing and maturing, being watered and washed by the Water of the Word. The precious streams of living Waters!


I love you Lord! Thank You for your love. Thank you for blessing us far more than we deserve. Thank You for calling us, for inviting us into Your Presence. May we enter in boldly, surrendering all the burdens and cares that weigh us down. 

For all my family and friends that are going through a rough season, I pray that Your Peace will cover them. Envelop them into Your love, and carry them through these trials. Increase their faith, that they will put all their trust in You and believe that all things will work together for good.

Come, Holy Spirit. We need You more than ever before. Lead us and guide us in all things. May we stop looking at the things behind us and instead look ahead, looking to You, Lord Jesus. May we keep our eyes on You. 

Have Your way, Lord. You know every need and every heart's desire. May You be the ruler of our hearts. Thank you for your mercy and grace.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"Be Not Conformed..." | A Child of God

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quotation, because it's true. 

We live in a world that is constantly, non-stop, trying to feed us with lies about how we should dress, talk, and act. Whenever something is deemed new and trendy, a majority of the population jumps onto the bandwagon, wanting to fit in with their peers and appear fashionable.

As children of God, we are called not to conform to society's norms. 

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1&2)

No matter the outside pressure, and even the ridicule, our purpose is not to fit in with the world and its ways. Because the world promotes ungodliness--we are bombarded daily with material that, if we allow them to, can take us away from a true, sincere commitment to our King.

Movies, music, books, any and all daily habits that are not edifying for the mind and body are things that, even if they might appear to some to be miniscule issues, we must thoroughly examine and consider with caution.

To live a Christian life, we must "present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God"... To be holy is to be dedicated or consecrated to God; sacred, sanctified. The sanctification process does not happen in the snap of a finger. It is that, a process of cleansing and purifying. When you dedicate your life to God's hands, you also have to allow Him to sanctify your heart, mind, habits--everything. This ultimately makes a way for His Spirit to dwell within us.

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Corinthians 3:16&17)

The Lord will not dwell in a temple that is contaminated with unholy things.
It's so important for us to seek Him daily, and ask Him to search our hearts, as written in the Psalms:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23&24)

I just feel so blessed and overwhelmed that He has given us His Holy Spirit to dwell among us and within us. Instead of conforming to the world, we are becoming One with Christ. Abiding in Him, and He abiding in us. That is the true reflection of self... Allowing our God and Creator to shine through us, perfecting us and molding a character that radiates love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22&23). By His grace we can glorify His Name from our hearts to the heavens.

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19&20)

"Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. 

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens."

(Lamentations 3:40&41)

Rivers in the Desert

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

This verse always inspires me every time I read it. It is a reminder of God's promise to provide for His people even in a dry and weary land.

Sometimes where I am it feels like a desert wilderness. Spiritually, and sometimes physically -- in terms of location and distance from like-minded individuals. Sometimes life feels dry. When once you were going strong, drinking up from the seemingly never-ending supply of laughter and joy, you now can barely put one step in front of the other, parched and panting for relief--the heat of varying trials and disappointments beating down mercilessly.

At least, it feels like it at times.

I have been reminded that life can't always be near-perfect. Another scripture that I think back to is in the book of James, chapter 1, verses 3-4: "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."  It is through our trials that we are molded to reflect a godly character. Trials test us, to see how strong our anchor is. Will your faith waver, or will you continue to put your faith in the One you profess to have surrendered your heart and life to? Hard times are not designed to beat you up and turn you into a bitter, hopeless individual. No, their purpose is to allow you to fully surrender, and prove your trust in God. Holding on to the Lord and His precious promises will instead bring to light the qualities that reflect the character of Christ:

In 2 Peter 1:

Add to your faith virtue... to virtue, knowledge

to knowledge, temperance; to temperance patience;

to patience, godliness; to godliness brotherly kindness;

and to brotherly kindness, charity... 

The Lord will indeed finish the work He has begun. When you're seemingly wandering in a desert land, don't lose hope. There is a promise that the Lord WILL do a new thing... making a way in the wilderness -- leading us through--, and creating rivers in the desert.

We will not die in the desert. The Lord promised to pour out His Spirit... RIVERS... living water flowing through His people, springing up from old wells!

If you give up now, you will never know what it's like to feel that revival and renewal after hard trials. A rejuvenation that is sweeter than anything we've tasted beforehand. Oh yes, I'm trusting in God's Word and looking forward to a wonderful outpouring of His glory upon His chosen people.

His Spirit has never left us. As with the Israelites in the desert, when the Pillar of Fire gave them light by night, and the Pillar of Cloud gave them shade in the day, the Lord has been watching over us, protecting us through it all. Many of the Israelites gave up on the Lord, despite the obvious evidence of His grace and favour. Do not blind your eyes to the Truth that is in front of us: The Lord surely is with His people, and will never leave nor forsake us. So don't you ever give up on Him!

With that wonderful promise in mind, we can overcome all obstacles and all attacks on the mind. For that's where the greatest battle is fought... in the mind. If you allow yourself to stay in a dry place, you will surely wither up and die... Let your thoughts be directed towards heavenly things. Read His Word. Pray daily. He will strengthen us!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law". Galatians 5: 22-23 

Reflections and Resolutions

The first day of 2017 is drawing to a close, and I thought I would stop and reflect a little on this past year, and think about what this new year may have in store.

I guess most people would list their adventures and accomplishments. 2016 was not a particularly adventurous year for me. Adventure doesn't seem to come my way, and I haven't had much opportunity to seek it out. The questions stands if the opportunity to go on an "adventure" arises, would I grab at the chance?

Because... to be honest, I've never really been the kind of person to step out of my comfort zone too often. At the end of the day, I like the simplicity of it all. Routine. Home. Family. But I also know that it is from our experiences and the trials that go along with them that we learn important life lessons. I want to be ready should the Lord have an assignment for me to do... and if it will be a growing experience, a lesson I can learn from, then I don't want to hold back.

My greatest desire for this year is to draw closer to the Lord Jesus. I want to be diligent in reading and studying the Word, and seeking His face daily. There is nothing that strengthens me more than to be in His Presence, feeling His peace and laying my burdens down at my Lord's feet.

Too many times we allow life's worries and cares, the everyday routines and schedules, and all the other distractions that are thrown our way (and sometimes, distractions we ourselves seek out) to take priority over the time we should be allotting for communion with the Lord. I am so guilty of this, and I feel its effects. None of us can be overcomers if we don't surrender all our cares to the Lord, who has overcome all things. We can't see positive changes if we don't pray about all things. Scripture instructs us to "pray without ceasing", and we know that the Lord cares for us all.

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26

We need to take everything before the Lord, and ask Him to lead and guide us daily. For it is His desire to help and bless us, to demonstrate His love and care. I don't want to live even one day without surrendering myself to His will and guidance.

I want to fall deeper in love with Jesus.
I want to be filled with His love, to overflowing, and demonstrate this love to those around me.
I want people to know I'm a Christian by my actions.
I want my life to be a blessing.
I want to be a willing, living, vessel for the Lord to use in His service.

I just want this new year to be a year of positive change, and spiritual growth. For myself and for my loved ones.

Lord, have your way!