13:10 - This will be the next memory verse that I teach Dane (Joke.). Stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord...what a great motto to live life by...stop making crooked the straight paths of God. There is truth - there is black and white - there is a way that we should follow, and I want to stop taking detours and walk the path of the Lord.
13:12 - The Roman proconsul witnesses the Spirit of God blind the false prophet Bar-Jesus, and he becomes a believer, but look at why it says he became a believer. "Then the proconsul believer...FOR he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord." He didn't become a believer because of the incredible power of God to blind a man - he was astonished by the power of the truth of God. Sometimes we get caught up in the physical miracles of the NT - the healings, tongues of fire, blindings, etc...but the most incredible power lies in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have access to that...we have at our fingertips the word of God...we have inside us the counselor who is teaching us and guiding us daily. The astonishing power to change the world is in our grasp and we want to see more of a show. In this cynical day and age, I think physical miracles would be explained off by most people, but when a soul comes face to face with the reality of the way of Jesus Christ - with the reality of unconditional love and sacrifice...that is when we see astonished people and miraculous life-change.
13:15 - Interesting - the Jews ask Paul to speak in the synagogue...maybe the news had not gotten around that he was a Christian yet, but the one time Christian killer was given a stage and he rocked the house!
13:22 - Does God find in me a man chasing after His own heart?
13:52 - Beautiful verse - no matter what happens...no matter how intense the persecution against them becomes, they focus on the good that God is doing and revel in that. If I had just laid down an incredible testimony about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power for it to change lives, and then been run out of town on a rail...I don't know if I would have been filled with joy. I love the challenging example that the early Christians set for me to constantly see God at work and take joy in that.
2 comments:
I agree – Thomas and Shelby will be learning verse 10 asap…well, not really.
On Paul being asked to speak in the synagogue – first the “duh” moment – the Spirit was there to move the leaders to ask Paul to speak. Second – Paul (Saul) was a well known Pharisee and these temple leaders might have heard that Paul was speaking on something new. Perhaps they wanted to see if he (Paul) could support his arguments with scripture and if so, how.
Whether curiosity or a true desire to possible obtain a better understanding of the scriptures, these leaders did not brush off the call of the Spirit to allow Paul to speak. I pray we do the same – I pray that we listen to those that God has called to speak – and they are not always just the ones on Sunday morning.
Peace,
j
I'm really moved by the belief of the proconsul. Believing because of the teaching. As I grew up in my faith, I didn't understand it very well. All I knew was rules. And not to say that was bad, since being young that seems to be all you know. But as I came to an understanding of the truth, it was astonishing to me how real scripture was. That alone is incredible, and the fact that it is applicable in every scenario.
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