The Word of God for wisdom:
Proverbs 18:17 (HCSB)
17 The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.
The Word of God for inspiration:
Psalm 4:8 (HCSB)
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, LORD, make me live in safety.
The Word of God for encouragement:
Acts 24:14-15 (HCSB)
14 But I confess this to you: I worship my fathers' God according to the Way, which they call a sect, believing all the things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
15 And I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there is going to be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous.
My observation:
In our focal passage in Acts Paul finds himself before a civil judge. The accusation against him is that he is involved in an illegal religion.
These are his accusers:
Acts 24:1 (HCSB)
1 After five days Ananias the high priest came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. These men presented their case against Paul to the governor.
This is their accusation:
Acts 24:5 (HCSB)
5 For we have found this man to be a plague, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes!
In bringing charges against Paul, the lawyer used flattery of the judge, slander of Paul, and finally false witnesses against Paul.
However, in the midst of this unfair onslaught on Paul, we find in our focal passage that Paul demonstrated courage. It took courage for Paul to say, "But I confess this to you". Paul was not ashamed of the God he worshipped or of the gospel he proclaimed.
Paul rested in and had peace in his soul because of his trust in the Lord. He could say like the Psalmist said:
Psalm 4:8 (HCSB)
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, LORD, make me live in safety.
In fact, this is what Paul said in his letter to the church at Rome:
Romans 1:16 (HCSB)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
My prayer:
Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that you will strengthen my faith so that I will have the courage of my conviction when I face opposition.
Father, I ask you to help me to always remember that the safest place for Paul was in prison because you had much work for him to do there.
O, how rich we are because of the letters that Paul wrote while he was falsely imprisoned. Father God, it is hard for us to understand why lies prevail against the just, and the guilty appear to go free. However, help us to remember that you get the final say, and that the final judgment is in your hands.
So, today I will take comfort in knowing that God is in charge, and that I can rest in the promises of my God who knows, cares, and provides for all of my needs. Amen.
--
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
.
No comments:
Post a Comment