[Discoveries] 07-16-08 Sleeping in church -- Acts 20:9

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking 
into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When He was sound asleep, he 
fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. -- Acts 
20:9*/

I'm glad the Lord included this story in the book of Acts. Notice how 
the inspired word of God includes several details. It was the middle of 
the night. Paul was talking "on and on." Several lamps were burning, 
robbing the room of invigorating oxygen. And Eutychus was young. Was the 
Lord making allowances for this sleeper?

The story doesn't end with verse nine. Eutychus was raised from the dead.

Suppose God took the position that Eutychus was less than spiritual, 
that falling asleep in church was a no-no -- no matter how inconvenient 
the circumstances, that it's too bad he died, but, hey, that's the price 
of less than 100% commitment.

But God is not an exacting tyrant just waiting for us to mess up. Grace 
is part of who God is.

So here is the word for today: God shows up for people who sleep in 
church, for the less than perfect, for the fully human, for regular 
people like you and me. God is not ready to pounce, but He is ready to 
love.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of 
violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the 
power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by 
addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families 
are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who 
face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers 
are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the 
faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one 
person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the 
sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with 
other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the 
supernatural happens.

You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a 
reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ 
<http://www.dwightclough.com> is included.

Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by
Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc.
1223 West Main Street #228
Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA
Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations.
Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ <http://www.dwightclough.com/A-support.php> 
for more information.

Change your subscription: 
_http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/discoveries/attachments/20080715/aa2b5e75/attachment.html>