DAY 73-THROUGH IT ALL

As we get to the final chapter of Acts, we see the long, long legal process that Paul had to endure. When you look at Paul’s trials, it makes you wonder why God allowed this obstacle to occur in Paul’s life. This whole process took several years. As I got to thinking about this I thought how Paul did not waver, lose patience nor give up on God. We can learn a lot from Paul. We need to keep the faith and endure and through it all, we need to keep are focus and trust in God. This reminds me of the lyrics of the Andrae Crouch song….

I’ve been a lot of places
And I’ve seen so many faces
But there’ve been times I’ve felt so all alone
But in that lonely hour, in that precious, lonely hour
Jesus let me know I was His own

Chorus
Through it all, through it all
Through it all, through it all
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus
I’ve learned to trust in God
Through it all, through it all
Through it all, through it all
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word

DAY 72-DON’T BE AFRAID

Acts 27: 22-25 “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

When things get bad, isn’t it comforting to know that God is there? Here we see everyone around Paul thinking the worst because they only saw things through human eyes. Paul saw the situation through Gods’ eyes because I believe Paul was trusting God to get then through the storm. He had enough faith for all of them. We need to be like Paul and trust in God to get us through the storm, even when our friends are telling us otherwise.

DAY 71-SHARE YOUR STORY

In Acts 26 Paul stands before King Agrippa and begins to plead his case, but what we really have is Paul’s testimony.  Not understanding the message, he is called insane by Festus, the Roman governor.  While King Agrippa states that Paul is not guilty of breaking any Roman laws.  They failed to really hear the message. Have you ever given your testimony only to be ignored or have people make fun of you?  We all have a testimony that needs to be shared even though it might not be understood or received well by the audience.  However, your experiences and testimony are unique to you and make you who you are. 

Check out the following link.  It provides a quick overview of Noah’s story.  See how Noah’s testimony is being used to bring others to Christ.

Noah’s Arc – Noah’s Story

Your story needs to be told just like Noah’s because your story or testimony may be the one and only one that may impact someone else’s life.  Don’t be afraid to share your story.  Your story may lead someone to Jesus just like Noah.

DAY 69-70 STAYING FOCUSED

In Acts 24 and 25 we see Paul struggle with the accusations against him and the Roman government’s inability to find him guilty. No Roman official could find any wrongdoing and thus were unable to find any reasonable charges to try him. As a result, Paul was in prison for several years. Imagine being incarcerated without any “legitimate” charges filed against you. Most of us would be mad. That would be hard for me to do. Paul knew his purpose and remained focused. As we will read in Acts 26, Paul was neither bitter nor full of anger. No, when he was asked to defend himself he spoke about Jesus and how He had changed his life. It was not about him, it was about Jesus and how others could come to know forgiveness and ultimately Jesus. In spite of any obstacles that we may face, we need to remain focused on Jesus and stay true to him. Stay focused.

DAY 69-70 STAYING FOCUSED

In Acts 24 and 25 we see Paul struggle with the accusations against him and the Roman government’s inability to find him guilty. No Roman official could find any wrongdoing and thus were unable to find any reasonable charges to try him. As a result, Paul was in prison for several years. Imagine being incarcerated without any “legitimate” charges filed against you. Most of us would be mad. That would be hard for me to do. Paul knew his purpose and remained focused. As we will read in Acts 26, Paul was neither bitter nor full of anger. No, when he was asked to defend himself he spoke about Jesus and how He had changed his life. It was not about him, it was about Jesus and how others could come to know forgiveness and ultimately Jesus. In spite of any obstacles that we may face, we need to remain focused on Jesus and stay true to him. Stay focused.

DAY 68-KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Today I sat through a management course where we were reviewing communications. One of the points made concerned knowing your audience, their backgrounds, their likes and dislikes, their beliefs and bias. If you know your audience and anticipate how they may react then how you deliver the message to them should change. Paul did that perfectly in Acts 23: 7-9. He knew his audience well enough to cause them to be divided and thus creating dissension so they could not reach a decision against him.

I thought about the times we try to talk to people about Jesus and fail. We have to understand that one size does not fill all. As we try to spread the Good News, we need to take the time to get to know them. If we know their background we can better communicate to them and hopefully bring them to accept Jesus as their Savior.

DAY 67-COMMON GROUND

“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. (Acts 22:1-3)

Today we see Paul addressing his accusers. The one thing that I noticed was that Paul was trying to establish a connection between himself and the Jewish crowd. I believe this is an important lesson for us as we talk to others about the Good News. We need to let them get to know us and backgrounds. Let them see that we do or have experienced the same types of trials that they face. Paul conveyed this message in verse three. Paul was trying to establish common ground with his audience prior to sharing his story and how Jesus impacted his life. We need to establish a personal relationship with others before we share our story. It is important to gain their trust so they will be open to hear the Good News. But, just as we see later in Acts 22, the message still might not be received well. But, it allowed Paul to plant the seed and provide them some insight into how God changed him and how he can change them as well. Remember, it is important to establish common ground with folks, but be prepared that not everyone will be willing to accept it.

DAY 66-DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

In Acts 21 we see Paul going beyond 100 percent—going the second mile. As we read Acts 21 we see Paul returning to Jerusalem where many of the Jewish people no longer trusted him for they believed Paul’s teachings were trying to convince them to ignore the laws of Moses. Many of the Jews were furious with Paul and the believers in Jerusalem feared for Paul’s life. James developed a plan he thought the Jews would accept and thus accept Paul. The plan included a Jewish purification ceremony required prior to entering the temple. Paul agreed in order to maintain peace within the Jerusalem church. Did Paul sell out? No. Paul knew the Jewish laws and His decision was a compromise on a nonessential point which did not violate his Christian values. Paul knew that the purification requirement was not something that was worth causing a split with the Jewish believers. He went the extra mile to ensure harmony in the church. Have you let something come between you and a fellow Christian Brother? Sometimes we need to let go of the small stuff and focus on the important stuff–honoring Christ and spreading the Good News to all.

DAY 65-ONE HUNDRED PERCENT

Acts 20:22-24 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Paul lived is life 100% dedicated to God. He knew that he would face hardship and prison in his pursuit of following God’s direction, but he was determined to do what the Lord wanted him to do. Have you ever made a commitment to do something only to quit because the going got tough? During our Christian walk we are going to be faced with obstacles that might cause us to consider changing direction or quitting. We need to look beyond the present situation and look to the end. Just like Paul we need to keep our eyes on completing the race. We need to complete the task the Lord has for us—and he has a task for each of us. Like Paul, we need to give 100% and stick with it knowing there will be obstacles and strife. Paul knew prison was in his future but he kept going. He knew that God would get him through it and that God had a purpose in this obstacle. So he continued to give 100%. How about you, are you letting things get in the way of what Jesus wants you to do? Are you giving 100% to God?

DAY 64-ACTS 19

It is interesting the “success” that Paul was involved in. By today’s standards he would be the greatest missionary or pastor in the world. Imagine a modern church leader who traveled the world, healed people, started numerous churches, spoke to large crowds, and wrote books that were widely read and circulated.
He had all the ingredients for some good old-fashioned arrogance or a big ego. In Acts 19 in the first couple verse Paul comes in contact with some people who have been baptized but were misunderstood that they had received the Holy Spirit. These people referred to their baptism as Paul’s’ baptism.
An opportunity to elevate himself comes his way but just as he did all the other times to make it this far, Paul elevates the name of Christ and will only let himself be an instrument God is using and not a focal point.

Paul handles this and many other chances to slip up with such ease, it makes me think it is not a coincidence that God continued to bless his ministry because it was never about Paul.