daily java

Daily Java:

There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!”  So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive. (Acts 9:36-41)

A great tragedy had hit the church at Joppa. One of its prominent members had died. She had touched everyone in that church and had done a lot of good. She had a great talent. What was it?

She was a seamstress. She made coats for poor people.

That’s it. She wasn’t a great speaker or a rich woman who gave a lot. She didn’t write books about the grace of God or systematic theology. She just made clothes for poor people.

And she was so important to that church that an apostle came. And not just any apostle, either. It was the great Peter, leader of the Twelve.

Peter came in and the room was filled with the ones who had benefited from her generosity. And they were all weeping at the loss of such a great woman.

After everybody left, Peter told her to get up and she did. There was joy in the church. People were happy. Their seamstress was alive again.

It is easy to exalt those who are mighty speakers, great teachers, good writers, that have visible, very public talents. But there are also those in the church without whom the church would have a tough time existing. The teacher teaches, someone has to be taught. The writer writes, someone has to read.

But then there are the people that serve in smaller ways. There are those who keep the church lawn, who take food to sick people’s families, who encourage, who are generous, who show the love of Christ in a million small ways.

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul said:

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly (12:6-8).

The things we do well are gifts from God, no matter how small or great they are.

Tabitha, or Dorcas as she was called in Greek, was such a person. Her gift was a combination of skill and generosity. Someone else may have paid for the cloth, but she gave the time and effort to make them.

And it made such a difference that she was singled out, from all the dead people, to be brought back to life.