Scripture: Acts 20.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Acts 20:22-27 (NLT)

22 “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. 25 “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.

26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

So often if we are able to do any work around the church, or if we are successful in witnessing to an acquaintance, we may receive praise from a fellow Christian or even recognized at church. I found from this passage today that where the real peace of mind comes in, is when we can honestly say to God, like Paul did, “I declare today that I have been faithful, and if anyone that I came into contact with suffers eternal death and damnation, then it’s not because I didn’t do my part. For I never held back in declaring all that God wanted the brother or sister to hear”. Friends, I don’t know about you, but God would strike me down dead if I said something like that right now, because I have not been as faithful as I could have been in all the circumstances God has placed before me. Look at verse 22, even being very convinced in his spirit that jail and suffering was ahead for him, yet he prepared himself to go on to Jerusalem to minister/witness/preach/encourage anyway. Will I be so persistent in spreading the Word? Will you sacrifice all earthly things and be so committed to doing the work, like Paul did? Wow, what an example set before us, and what a reminder for us today that only one thing matters in the end, and that is that we first of all know Jesus as Lord, and that as we stand before Him on judgment day that we can honestly say to Him, I have been faithful and did all that I could to share Christ with all that I came into contact with. Lord, please grant this desire to me today, please?

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, thank You for providing the means for me to have eternal life with You in heaven. Thank You for placing me in a place where I come into contact with many that do not know You as Lord of their lives. Please give me the desire and boldness to not be selfish, timid or weak in sharing the best thing that could ever happen in a person’s life with those that I have opportunity to do so. Please also touch the lives of those that will read this devotional and give them the same boldness and desire to share Your love with others. Thank You for the work of Your servant Paul. Please give me the same boldness and desire that he shared with us in this passage.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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