PT-3 "The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price" (Acts 21:7-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/29/2018 7:19 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  PT-3 “The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:7-14

            Message of the verses:  “7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day.  8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11  And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ’In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’" 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!"”

            As we begin this last SD on these verses we see that those who were trying to convince Paul not to go to Jerusalem gave up after what Paul stated in verse thirteen.  I want to focus in on the last statement from verse 14 “The will of the Lord be done!”  I suppose that we may conclude that this was a statement showing that they had given up and so that is why they made this statement, but it was not a fatalistic resignation but it was complete trust in God’s sovereign and perfect will.  “18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him’ (1 Samuel 3:18).”  “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42).”  What these people were doing was committing Paul into the care of the Lord.

            I want to for a moment to think about what may have happened if Paul had not gone up to Jerusalem.  Well I can say that Paul would not have had time to write the letters that we find in the New Testament if he had not gone up to Jerusalem.  It was Paul’s desire to go to Rome, and if he had not gone up to Jerusalem then he probably would have had to pay his own way to get there.  Paul witnessed to different kings and people who ranked in high places while in prison there, and if he had not gone up to Jerusalem then that would not have happened.  As we continue to look at the rest of the book of Acts, none of the things that we will read about would have happened if Paul would not have been convinced by the Spirit of God to go to Jerusalem.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The serpent” (Genesis 3:4).

Today’s Bible question:  “What country destroyed Jerusalem?”

Answer in our next SD.  7/29/2018 7:36 AM