Acts 26:15-27 (NLT)
15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. 21 Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. 22 But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”
24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”
25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”
Leslyn Musch
Lighthouse Regional Church – Concord
Observation: Jesus, I hear You speaking to me though Paul’s love and courage. His love for You and his love for those who didn’t know You compelled him to courageously tell his story, even at great personal risk. He told his story of a life transformed by a personal encounter with You.
Action: Lord Jesus, I desire to love You courageously like Paul did. I desire that my love for You would compel me to tell my story of how You have changed my life. Today, no matter the risk, I ask for one opportunity to share my story whether at work, school, with a neighbor or at the grocery store. I make myself available to be used by You.
Observation: What catches my attention today Father is, “a place among God’s people.” It is what you offer all of us, its the invitation to belong to Your Oikos – the Household of God.
Action: I will today, not only remember I belong but carry the message “that you have a place and belong” to at least one precious person today.
Observation: This morning this passage reminds me that God sometimes asks us to do crazy things.
Action: Today I will be a fool for Jesus; even if I have to do something that looks crazy to others.
Dear Lord,
Sometimes I am lost in darkness of self. Forgive me Lord.
Seize me out of self and into Your Light.
Your Light searches corners, hunts duskiness, chases dimness, pursues murkiness, names hurdles, bathes lies.
Your Light cleanses the part I deny.
Teach me how to serve purely and witness boldly.
Let me embrace that I am appointed like Paul…as servant and witness…
to spread Your Truth and Light.
Thank You Lord.
Amen.
Observation: I see that Paul’s mission was not his strategic idea. God arrested his attention and laid out the plan clear as day.
Action: instead of feeling like I have to figure out the course of my mission, today I am going to expect to be directed!
So appreciate your perspective, Leslyn. One might be tempted to think that Paul is feebly grasping for support from Agrippa since the king knows the Hebrew history. One might think Paul needs someone in his corner to protect him since it is obvious Festus is worked up. But we have the advantage of history and a further knowledge of Paul’s character of faith–a faith given by God Himself. He needs no earthly help. His help is in the name of the Lord!
Today, Lord, and every day, give me such boldness as to proclaim the truth of your atoning sacrifice no matter the consequence, no matter the degree of belief or unbelief that I encounter. Help me to stand in Your strength alone. Amen.
Observation: What stands out to me in this passage is that Paul’s identity was so firmly grounded in the fact that God had called him and given up a specific purpose that it didn’t even phase him when Festus told his he was insane. He very calmly refuted those accusations and stayed on track with his mission to preach the Gospel of Christ.
Action: I will be as unflinching as Paul the next time I am misunderstood, misrepresented, or mistreated because of my faith in you. I will stand firm, as Paul did, certain of my salvation and my calling in this world.