Good morning. Today is Sunday, August 23rd!

🥳 Congratulations on starting today with God, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

— Acts 9:36

There’s a woman in Acts who only appears for a few verses, but what the Bible tells us about her is pretty remarkable.

Her name was Tabitha, also known as Dorcas.

We don’t know much about her background. The Bible doesn’t tell us who her parents were, how old she was, whether she was married, or how she became a follower of Jesus. We meet her in the city of Joppa, and Acts gets right to what mattered about her:

“In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.” — Acts 9:36

One detail makes that introduction especially interesting: Tabitha is the only woman in the New Testament explicitly called a “disciple” using the feminine form of that word. That doesn’t mean she was the only female disciple. There were many women who followed Jesus. It simply makes the way Acts introduces Tabitha unique.

And we quickly see why she was so loved.

Tabitha became sick and died. The believers prepared her body and placed her in an upstairs room. When they heard that Peter was nearby, they sent two men to find him and begged him to come quickly.

When Peter arrived, the room was filled with grieving widows. They gathered around him crying and showed him the robes and other clothing Tabitha had made for them.

That tells us a lot about her without needing a long biography.

Tabitha had spent her life serving people, especially people in need. Now that she was gone, the people she had helped were standing around Peter holding the things she had made for them.

Peter sent everyone out of the room, knelt down, and prayed. Then he turned toward Tabitha and told her to get up.

She opened her eyes.

Peter helped her to her feet and called everyone back into the room. The woman they had been mourning was standing there alive.

News of what happened spread throughout Joppa, and Acts says many people believed in the Lord because of it.

Tabitha never preached a sermon recorded in Scripture. We don’t know her family history or even most of her life story.

But we do know what kind of disciple she was.

She followed Jesus, served people, helped the poor, and left behind a life that people genuinely missed when she was gone.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Father, You are loving and good.

Confession: Forgive us when we fail to serve others.

Thanksgiving: Thank You for showing us what faithful service looks like.

Supplication: Help us do good and care for those in need.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

“Go Tell It” by Forrest Frank

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See you tomorrow,

Zach | Start With God