God’s Word Says….

Acts 16:23-26 (NCV)
23 Then Paul and Silas were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered to guard them carefully. 24 When he heard this order, he put them far inside the jail and pinned their feet down between large blocks of wood.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God as the other prisoners listened. 26 Suddenly, there was a strong earthquake that shook the foundation of the jail. Then all the doors of the jail broke open, and all the prisoners were freed from their chains.

My Thoughts…..

Two important lessons can be found in this short passage of Scripture for the Christian: 1). Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS – yes even when under persecution, or perhaps in chains, or imprisoned. Easy to do? No, but the Bible also says that we are to give thanks for ALL things (not all good things). When we buckle under pressure, we are re-writing the Scripture to say that God is with us when things are going well for us, but you’re on your own when things get tough. Never thought that way? If not, non-Christians think that way when they see us (Christians) unable to function, or pray, or praise during our less-than-ideal circumstances, and I don’t believe that’s the kind of witness we ever wanted to portray to our non-Christian friends. 2). In order to be reachable by our lost, non-Christian friends, we must not flaunt our freedom in Christ. Prayers were answered and Paul, Silas and the other prisoners were free to go, but in staying, the jailer was converted!

Challenge……

Friends, we must learn to stay strong in our faith through the good times and through the bad, or challenging times. The God we celebrate and give thanks to for our mountain top experiences, is the same God that we call on when we feel like we are at our lowest point. Nowhere in Scripture does it ever indicate that God would hide His face from us under certain circumstances or when we are in certain locations or with certain friends that He may not approve of. Notice that I am not indicating that Christians have certain freedoms to do just as they please and go wherever they choose with whomever they please, then when times get tough just call on God. Instead, I am saying that God is with us when life seems toughest or even impossible, so let’s learn to praise Him and pray to Him in every aspect of our lives. Let’s live like Christians who believe that our Lord is alive, and He is with us every day, everywhere and at all times. When we praise Him in the tough times, we reassure ourselves that God is just as near to us then as any time in our past, and that He is able to hear our prayer and act on it! As we meditate on the second point above, let us be reminded that our friends need someone who they can identify with, and who they feel is real. Without their faith in Christ, it may be impossible for them to grasp the joy and reassurance that we feel. So while we may feel God’s presence in a very real sense, and we have comfort in knowing that He will help us though the unfortunate circumstances we may be facing with our friend, let’s try to be understanding of our friend and the fear they are feeling inside. Let us earn their trust, so that they might sincerely desire a need for our Savior that gives us strength, hope and love. They must feel like we can identify with their need so that they will trust the Savior in who we are placing our trust and faith.

Prayer……

Lord Jesus, these are tough principles in this Scripture passage today, but I am convinced that all Scripture is God-breathed for our good. Many of us are either already facing, or will face situations where our non-Christian friends may feel like we may be unreachable because of differences in character, talk or actions in their lives versus ours. Lord, I believe that for us to be a good witness, we must humble ourselves like you did while here on this earth. Father God, please help us to keep our eyes focused on Your Son. Please help us to be His imitators. Please help us to set pride aside and instead concentrate on the bigger goal of seeing our lost friends come to accept Your Son and develop relationships with Him, and I humbly ask all this in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Your Son, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.