DEVOTION ~ YOU ARE CLEANSED

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Theme: You Are Cleansed

Text: Acts 10:13-16

 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.


In yesterday's devotion, we learned that while Peter awaits to be served food he fell into a trance where a great sheet descended to him filled with unclean animals. Today's text continues with what transpired when the sheet got to Peter. Behold, a voice came to him saying, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” However, Peter responded “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” At the time of the trance, Peter was still clinging to the Levitical law not to eat unclean meat. What he failed to recall was what Jesus said that defilement comes from within rather done eating unclean food: Matthew 15:11 "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Surprisingly enough, it was Peter who asked for the explanation of this parable but had himself forgotten the explanation given (Refer to Matthew 15:1-20). 

Dear beloved in the Lord, the animals, birds, and other creatures on the sheet represent human beings who were not in the initial Abrahamic covenant (the Gentiles or heathen nations). Just like we learned yesterday, Jesus asked Peter and the others to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men so it is in today's text that the heathen presented the unclean animals for Peter to hunt (evangelize to them). Peter was sent to reach out to such souls but he declined the offer. That was why he had been told not to call anything unclean if God had made it clean. You are cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb of God therefore, no one can condemn your status in the Lord.


Let us Pray: Dear God, grant me the understanding of Your Word so that I can apply it effectively in my daily life. Help me to embrace what You have made clean and let me not defile myself with things that proceed from the heart and mouth. This I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ. AMEN!  


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