SCRIPTURE: Acts 26
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. [Luke 24:27] Paul is on trial for believing what Jesus said, that He is the fulfillment of all Jewish law and prophecy. The hope that drives the Jews is the hope that Jesus brings – but they do not accept it. The hope that inspires Paul is the hope that the Jews wait for, but they cannot accept it.
It’s like being told that a certain medication can heal you from your deadly disease, but when the medication comes, you refuse to take it because it wasn’t the KIND of medicine you wanted.
Paul demonstrates that he has always been a serious and sincere Jew, eager to follow God’s law and await God’s promises. His life and practice show that he was zealous for the faith of his fathers, and this means that his present life and practice are consistent with his past. He has always wanted to be a faithful Jew, and following Jesus is what faithful Jews ought to do, because He is the fulfillment of their faith and expectations.
Paul’s confidence is not deterred by opposition or persecution. He is not happy about his chains, but he refuses to change the things that are causing him to be in chains – his faith and life in Christ. He wishes everyone would join him in his faith and life in Christ. In the end, it’s all about Jesus, knowing Jesus as the way, truth and life, and living in, with and for Him. This is what every word in the old testament is pointing to, this is what will bring hope, peace, forgiveness and joy. Nothing, not even chains, can remove the deep-rooted blessing of knowing and living in Jesus.
Paul’s testimony led Agrippa to muse that Paul was trying to persuade him to become a Jesus-follower too quickly. Paul’s response: short or long time, it doesn’t matter, just that you eventually find this blessing too. The same for today. For some it will be quick, for others a long process, and still for others it will never come… but for all it is the only way to truth and life.
May my life and my words also point to this. May people see in me that I have found LIFE in Jesus, and may they hear me overflow with this good news. And may others find this LIFE through us as well!
PRAYER:
Lord, make me a sincere, bold, inspiring testimony to those around me, that Jesus is the fulfillment of all our desires, the way, the truth, the life!
Paul told his story. Once blinded, but now he sees. It was his prayer that in telling the story that all those who heard would also believe. Paul was a living letter, a living witness not ashamed of the Gospel, but proclaiming it boldly to those in authority. It was his prayer that all hearers would accept the good news right away or in time.
Lord, help me to be a living letter read by all so that they may see Jesus in me. Help me to proclaim the way to be a Jesus follower.
All that I am I owe to Thee,
Thy wisdom, Lord, has fashioned me;
I give my Maker thankful praise,
Whose wondrous works my soul amaze.
Ere into being I was brought,
Thine eye did see, and in Thy thought
My life in all its perfect plan
Was ordered ere my days began.
Thy thoughts, O God, how manifold,
More precious unto me than gold!
I muse on their infinity,
Awaking I am still with Thee.