What can we learn from Tabitha's example of good works and charity? Tabitha’s Story at a Glance - Acts 9:39 paints the scene: “So Peter rose and went with them… They led him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other garments that Dorcas had made while she was with them.” - Her life was so full of tangible love that even her sewing projects became a testimony the whole church wanted Peter to see. - The Spirit later raised her from the dead (vv. 40-41), but long before that miracle, Tabitha’s day-by-day faithfulness had already left an unmistakable mark. What the Upper Room Reveals • Good works are visible and memorable. • Charity is best measured by changed lives, not by public applause. • The widows’ tears prove that love expressed through ordinary skills (needle and thread) carries eternal weight. Lessons for Today 1. Use the gifts you already have - Tabitha’s craft was simple, yet God multiplied its impact (cf. Exodus 35:25-26). 2. Aim for consistency, not occasional bursts - “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap.” (Galatians 6:9) 3. Focus on people society overlooks - Widows were among the most vulnerable, matching the call of James 1:27 to care for “orphans and widows in their distress.” 4. Remember that works flow from faith, not the other way around - “So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.” (James 2:17) 5. Expect God to magnify quiet obedience - Her resurrection led “many to believe in the Lord” (v. 42). God often uses unseen faithfulness to spark visible revival. Scriptural Threads That Echo Tabitha’s Life - Proverbs 31:20 — “She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.” - 1 Timothy 5:10 speaks of the widow “well attested for good deeds… devoted to every good work.” - Matthew 5:16 — “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds.” - Ephesians 2:10 — We are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” Putting It Into Practice • Identify one ordinary skill you can surrender to God’s purposes. • Look around for a “widow” in your context—anyone overlooked—and meet one practical need this week. • Keep a record of God’s faithfulness; one day your small acts may comfort someone else in their “upper room” moment, just as Tabitha’s tunics did. |
    |