{"id":1349,"date":"2018-12-18T10:46:19","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T18:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1349"},"modified":"2018-12-18T15:10:29","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T23:10:29","slug":"devotion-acts-109-16-missing-the-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1349","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 10:9-16 Missing The Beauty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 10:9-16<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof\u00a0to pray.<\/i><\/span>\u00a010\u00a0He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.<\/span>\u00a011\u00a0He saw heaven opened\u00a0and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.<\/span>\u00a012\u00a0It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.13\u00a0Then a voice told him,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cGet up, Peter. Kill and eat.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>14\u00a0\u201cSurely not, Lord!\u201d\u00a0Peter replied. \u201cI have never eaten anything impure or unclean.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>15\u00a0The voice spoke to him a second time,\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u201cDo not call anything impure that God has made clean.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/span>16\u00a0This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.”<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In a storm a large branch was broken off from a tree.\u00a0 Two hiking men found the branch.\u00a0 One man said to the other \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Second Man said \u201cI see a branch from that tree lying on the ground.\u00a0 Good thing it didn\u2019t fall on anyone and hurt or kill them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, what you have said is true,\u201d replied the First Man, \u201cit is indeed a broken off branch and because of its size, it could have hurt or killed someone.\u00a0 But I see something that could be shaped and used to bring beauty that many will enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBah, it\u2019s something that could have hurt or killed someone,\u201d the Second Man replied.\u00a0 It is a dangerous piece of that tree that was weak and broke off. If it was too weak to stay on the tree, then it is probably so diseased it is of no earthly good.\u00a0\u00a0 I hope you don\u2019t try to make something of it that people will use to support themselves.\u00a0 This ugly branch is bad through and through and is good only for firewood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will come back and fetch it.\u00a0 I will make something that will help people who will find it a blessing,\u201d responded the First Man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, do so if you want to waste your time,\u201d said the Second Man.<\/p>\n

With the help of his horse the first man brought the branch home.\u00a0 He stopped and studied the branch.\u00a0 Certainly his friend was right, the branch as it was seemed to be good for nothing but firewood.\u00a0 He then received inspiration and began to turn this fallen branch into something so beautiful that none will recognize what it formerly was.<\/p>\n

When the First man was done He called upon His friend to walk with Him along a long and tiring country public trail.\u00a0 When the men got to the top of a long and tiresome climb they were both breathing very hard.\u00a0 They sat upon a beautiful bench that was ornately carved and easily large enough for four adults to sit upon.\u00a0 As the breathing of the two men returned to normal, they sat silently and enjoyed the great view of the valley below and also enjoyed the beautiful morning songs of some very cheerful bird.<\/p>\n

After a time the Second Man said to the first \u201cI have never been on this trail before.\u00a0 It is a great walk and the view and singing of the birds are quite refreshing and beautiful.\u00a0 Also, I am thankful for this bench to sit upon and rest while enjoying nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Man said to the Second Man \u201cYes, I do find this all quite lovely.\u00a0 Being the hiker you are I\u2019m surprised that you have not walked this trail before.\u00a0 I am happy you could come with me.\u00a0 And yes, this bench is lovely and quite welcome to weary hikers.\u00a0 But I wonder, you don\u2019t remember the bench?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAs I told you I have not been on this trail so I have never seen this bench before\u201d said the Second Man.<\/div>\n

\u201cFriend, you have seen this bench before,\u201d said the First Man.\u00a0 This is the branch we came upon on our previous walk.\u00a0 What it once was is no longer and now is this beautiful bench.\u00a0 As I said then, what seemed ugly and dangerous has become beautiful and comforting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jumping up from the bench the Second Man angrily protested \u201cWhy have you tricked me into sitting on that diseased branch and putting me at risk of falling and injury?\u00a0 You are no friend to me! The Second Man then stormed off and left the First Man behind.<\/p>\n

The First Man sat and sadly considering the Second Man\u2019s inability to see how something that had been deemed useless and dangerous was now something useful and beautiful.\u00a0 As the First Man rose from the bench he observed a few young hikers that had reached the top of the trail.\u00a0 They too were breathing hard as he had been.\u00a0 When he rose and walked from the bench he overheard them remarking how beautiful the bench was and how wonderful it was that they had found it.\u00a0 The sought the comfort of it.\u00a0 They did not know what it once was, they only appreciated what it now is.<\/p>\n

Family, our God can transform what was evil or useless and make it blessed and a tool of His.\u00a0 God is able.\u00a0 Let us find the good and the usefulness in things that others can only remember an ugly past.\u00a0 Let us look for the good in people whom God has transformed lest\u00a0Titus 1:15<\/b>\u00a0be our description\u00a0\u201cTo the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 10:9-16\u00a0–\u00a0About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof\u00a0to pray.\u00a010\u00a0He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.\u00a011\u00a0He saw heaven opened\u00a0and something like a large sheet being let down to earth…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,94,17,105],"class_list":["post-1349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-micah","tag-psalm","tag-titus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1349"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1350,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349\/revisions\/1350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}