Acts 16:25
How you react when unjust acts happen to you or someone you
love may expose the real you. Has
anything like this happened to you; your in a new area and as a follower of
Christ you are telling people about how the Son of God came into your life and
you have not been the same since. And in
such a time as this, where evil is called good, and good is called evil, many
who hear you speaking want to know more.
They are asking this question; could it be true that God loves me when I
have no love for him, and if that be true could He, would He, forgive me for my
desire to replace Him with the lust and greed of only caring for my self? And while you sit and share with those how
you were the worst of sinners and yet God never stopped seeking you, and then
one day you knew that He was a God who did not change, who keeps all His
promises, and on that day by faith you bowed your knee to His authority over
you and accepted His gift of life, now and for eternity. And while sharing, some men grabbed you and
said all kinds of evil about you and a mob began to gather, and the next thing
you knew the police who were suppose to protect you began to beat you, and then
you were put into prison without so much as a phone call.
How are you doing?
Are you feeling as if God has abandoned you, are you angry and fearful
of what is coming next, if so you are in good company, you are like me, you are
like 98% of people who claim to be a follower of Christ. As I write this I am convicted of my Mickey
Mouse faith, it is so small, but it is faith in a big, big, God. But this question must be answered: How does
one come to a faith that makes this statement, “I know
how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance,
I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I
can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians
4:12-13 ESV) I’ve come to this conclusion,
it did not happen over night with Paul and it will not happen over night with any
of us! It will begin when we learn to accept
that no matter what value we place on getting to an appointment, we understand
that God knew about the flat tire, the train that took ten minutes to clear the
tracks, or the wrong turn that the GPS said was a short cut. And we give thanks instead of acting as I
often do, and those actions do not bring glory to anyone but the enemy of my
soul. Yes, it begins in how we act with
a teenager who just broke our hearts, for once we begin to accept that God’s love
far exceeds our current circumstance, then we are much closer to understanding
how Paul and Silas could be praying and singing hymns to God after being beat
and put into prison. And guess what, they
were not doing this in a vacuum, for doctor Luke reports that the prisoners
were listening to them, and then God showed up; this is Dr. Luke’s account: “and suddenly there
was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And
immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword
and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But
Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And
the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell
down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
(Acts 16:26-30 ESV)
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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