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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
only o f the good works which we intend to do sometime, but are very empty o f the good works which we actually do. She seems to have had no relatives, but instead of mourning about her lonely lot she made herself sister and mother to all, and so while she had no relatives, she had many friends. The fact that she was “ full o f good works and almsdeeds” did not exempt her from sickness, nor even sickness unto death. The theory that if we are right with God sickness will not enter our lives, and above all that death from sickness will not come to us, breaks down over the description that the Holy Spirit Himself give us o f the case o f Dorcas. She was “ full o f good works and almsdeeds,” never theless she fell sick and died. It is evident that GocU has other purposes in sickness than merely the chastisement o f our sins and the humbling o f our pride (cf. John 9 :3 ; 11:3, 4; 2 Kings 13:14). It will not do to decide too hastily that the one who has fallen sick, or even died, has in some way wandered away from God. Dorcas was living very near to God at that time, “ full o f good works and almsdeeds,” but she died. It is true that she was raised, nevertheless she died. Wednesday, December 13 . Acts 9 : 38 , 39 . These disciples certainly had a mighty faith. There had not been a case of resur rection, as far as w e know, in the ten years that had elapsed since the resurrec tion o f Christ, yet these humble disciples believed in a living God, and a living Christ, and that a need o f a resurrection from the dead having arisen, God .would'grant it, and God did. Pker was prompt in re sponding to the call for help from these afflicted disciples. The disciples, on their part, appealed for help in a very striking way: the widows, whom Dorcas had be friended, stood by him weeping and show ing the visible tokens o f how necessary Dorcas was to their welfare. Dorcas had built for herself a monument with her needle. Through the centuries many have gazed at that monument and been prompted
whole. He saw very clearly that Jesus Christ could and would use even him. On Aeneas’s part we see a faith that responds instantly to the word o f p o w e r h e imme diately arose. The miracle simply opened the way for the preaching o f the word. There is a wide gulf between Peter and modern so-called “healers;” with Peter the healing was largely a means to an end rather than -an end in itself, as it is with these modern healers. To most men there is nothing more convincing o f the power o f Jesus Christ than an ocular demonstra tion of that power. I f we were in our own lives more perfect manifestations o f the power o f Christ, there would be more people turning to the Lord today. Let us see to it then that' we are more perfect manifestations in our own lives o f the power o f Jesus to make men whole. Tuesday, December 12 . Acts 9 : 36 , 37- Joppa was not an insignificant town; within it were people o f wealth and in fluence, but none o f the names o f these people o f wealth and influence have come down to us. The only person in the place whose name has come down to us through the centuries is this humble woman. Few names shine more brightly on the pages of history than hers, and the story of her life so briefly and so graphically recorded here has been an inspiration to many. Why? Simply because “this woman was full o f good works and almsdeeds,, which she did.” That is real greatness, and that form o f greatness is open to us all. It should be noted first o f all that she was “full" of these good works and almsdeeds • that is to say, good works and almsdeeds were not with her an occasional thing; they were her constant practice, the things that occupied her whole time. According to our Lord’s definition o f discipleship, she was a disciple indeed (See John. 15:8; cf. also James 1:27; 1 John 3:14, 16, 17; Titus 2:14.; 3 ; 8 ; Col. 1 :10): Furthermore she was not full o f good works which she intended to do, but full o f good works “ which she did.“ So many o f us are full
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