Acts 26:1-32
Reflect
In this outstanding address, Paul gives a focused and clear defense against the accusations of his Jewish community. “I too was convinced…” “I was so obsessed…” Paul shares how he had been, at one time, caught up in the fury of the issues of his day. Historically, there have been forces that the Jewish community had contended with over hundreds of years; conquering nations, local rebellious movements, various sects that rose up to provide leadership. Paul had been living into his family history, so to speak, of trying to protect and maintain his ethnicity and the nation of Israel against perceived threats. Yet this very posture was what caused him to initially miss the advent of the Messiah.
Today, would you be willing to ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, as He did for Paul, to anything that would cause you to miss Jesus in your midst? Are there issues you are convinced about or obsessed with that need to be brought into alignment with the Word? Are you living into an unhealthy family pattern? What are you are trying to protect and maintain that instead needs to be surrendered to the Lordship of Christ? Often it is the disappointment, the annoyance, or the worry that we are struggling with most that needs to be brought into the light of Christ. Respond in obedience to what God is stirring in your heart.
Pastor Melissa
Pray
- Pray through the prayer section in our program.
- Pray for Karen Alksne, our Congregational Life Ministry Associate.
- Pray for our Congregational Life Pastor, Mike Bartusek and his family.
- Pray for our Hospitality Coordinator, Irene Dickau.