Women of the New Testamentનમૂનો

Day 4
Tabitha (Dorcas)

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.
– Acts 9:36 (NLT)

After Jesus returned to heaven, His followers came together and became what we call the early church. They were the beginning of the church today. A really cool thing about the early church is that they treated each other like family, even if they weren’t related. They served one another, helped one another, and made sure everyone was taken care of.

There was a group of people who believed in Jesus in the town of Joppa, and one of them was a woman named Tabitha. Tabitha was her name in Aramaic, while Dorcas was her name in Greek. The Bible says Tabitha “was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor.” (Acts 9:36)

That’s a pretty great thing to say about someone. Think about it. There’s not a much better legacy you could have.

The people in Joppa loved Tabitha. One of the ways she helped people was by making clothes for widows who needed them. Sadly, Tabitha got sick and died. Her friends found out that Peter, one of Jesus’ close friends and a leader in the early church, was nearby. So, they sent messengers to bring Peter to Joppa. When Peter got to the room where Tabitha’s body was, it was filled with widows who wanted to show Peter the clothes Tabitha had made for them. She meant so much to them!

The Bible says, “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. The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord.” (Acts 9:40-42)

Wow! Peter prayed, and God raised Tabitha from the dead! Many people decided to trust in Jesus because they heard what the power of God could do.

Tabitha knew that following Jesus’ example meant helping other people. She helped people so much that that’s what she was known for. If we want to follow Jesus’ example, we should do our best to be known for helping people, too.

Reflect: Read Acts 9:36. If you had just one line to describe yourself, what would you want it to say?

Read: Acts 9:36-42