Daily Reading: Acts 8
Scripture Focus: But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (Acts 8:3)
Devotional Thought: Saul's savagery and hatred, revealed in the first three verses of Acts 8, is enough to take your breath away. It is hard to believe that this Saul would later become one of the strongest, most mature Christian men of his time, forfeiting his own life to preach the gospel!
While we marvel at the miraculous transformation of people in the early church, do we believe that God is still working these miracles? The church of today has developed a cynicism – a belief God cannot change people in today’s culture. Miracles are rare and met with skepticism. People are blind to the work of the Lord. It is true that we face unique challenges in the church; addiction, busyness, half-hearted faith (which is to say a lack of faith) to name a few. But do these obstacles really compare to what the early church was facing? They were being martyred for their faith, and yet they were converting in droves!
Saul would later come to faith in Jesus, and would go from the persecutor to the persecuted. He knew well what he would face with his conversion to Christianity, and yet he still boldly proclaimed his faith. Why? As he tells the Philippians, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ,” (Phil 3:8).
Church, do not become blind or cynical to the miracles of transformation that are happening all around us. Any time one comes to a saving faith in Christ, a miracle has occurred. Let us pray for those miracles daily!
Jenny
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to see the miracles you are performing daily around us… let us not be blind to your Spirit’s work. Help us to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus, and move the hearts of those around us to believe and become part of your Kingdom.
Psalm of the Day: 13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. 14 Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. 15 Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. 16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 17 Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. 18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! 19 You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. 20 Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 21 They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. (Psalms 69:13-21)
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