Today’s devotion covers Acts 21:27 through Acts 22:21 which is much more
Scripture than I usually cover in these daily devotions. We read about the
Jews seizing Paul in the temple and dragging him out and beating him. The
commander of the Roman cohort with his soldiers rescued Paul from the mob,
bound him, and brought him into the barracks. Paul was given permission to
stand on the stairs of the barracks and address the people to give his defense. Paul gave his testimony as to his strict upbringing, his early persecution of the Christians, his conversion, and his calling to go to the Gentiles to present the Gospel to them.
We focus on the following concluding verses of this text, verses 17 through 21.
“17 “It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the
temple, that I fell into a trance,
18 and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem
quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’
19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue
after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.
20 And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was
standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were
slaying him.’
21 And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Acts 22:17-22.
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There may be those of us who are called to stay and minister in our own
“Jerusalem”, but there are others called to go elsewhere and minister.
But, whether we stay in “Jerusalem” or go elsewhere, we may face persecution. We may face living among the ungodly. We need patience and endurance. Consider God’s patience and endurance.
“22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make
His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for
destruction?
23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of
mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from
among Gentiles.
25 As He says also in Hosea,
“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26 “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.” Romans 9:22-26.
So, through God’s grace, we persevere (the “P” of “TULIP”).
Along with Paul, we can state: “I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved
His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 