Advent Devotional for Dec. 15
Monday, December 15 Acts 14:8-20
The world does not always understand Christian healing.
This passage perfectly illustrates what a confused world may do when a Christian acts boldly to touch the world with God’s love. In Lystra, Paul healed a man who had been crippled since birth. The crowds see this and are stunned at Paul’s amazing work. The town, which heretofore had believed in many gods, looked at Paul and Barnabas and declared that in them “The gods have come down to us in human form!” They went so far as to label Barnabas as Zeus incarnate, and Paul as Hermes, since Paul did all the talking. Paul and Barnabas will have none of it, of course, tearing their clothes and telling people to turn from their idle idols and worship the true God, but even so the crowds almost can’t restrain themselves from worshiping these two men and offering sacrifices to them. But, we read, naysayers come and win over the crowds, convincing them that Paul and Barnabas were not gods in the flesh, not even good people, but wicked people. And then the crowds who had just been worshiping Paul start to stone him, and he barely escapes with his life.
The world does not know what to make of a Christian acting boldly to heal the world. At times, the world will understand you, even laud you for the work you do. At times, the world will seek your end as surely as it sought your Savior’s end. Ask Dr. King. Largely forgotten now is his diminished popularity toward the end of his life, when he realized that in the grand scheme of things, getting laws passed was easy but changing people’s intransigent hearts was difficult. He mentioned this and literally got killed. As a Christian, you will at times have the good favor of the crowd and at times will be an outcast; but take heart, Christ has overcome the world.
The world does not always understand Christian healing.
This passage perfectly illustrates what a confused world may do when a Christian acts boldly to touch the world with God’s love. In Lystra, Paul healed a man who had been crippled since birth. The crowds see this and are stunned at Paul’s amazing work. The town, which heretofore had believed in many gods, looked at Paul and Barnabas and declared that in them “The gods have come down to us in human form!” They went so far as to label Barnabas as Zeus incarnate, and Paul as Hermes, since Paul did all the talking. Paul and Barnabas will have none of it, of course, tearing their clothes and telling people to turn from their idle idols and worship the true God, but even so the crowds almost can’t restrain themselves from worshiping these two men and offering sacrifices to them. But, we read, naysayers come and win over the crowds, convincing them that Paul and Barnabas were not gods in the flesh, not even good people, but wicked people. And then the crowds who had just been worshiping Paul start to stone him, and he barely escapes with his life.
The world does not know what to make of a Christian acting boldly to heal the world. At times, the world will understand you, even laud you for the work you do. At times, the world will seek your end as surely as it sought your Savior’s end. Ask Dr. King. Largely forgotten now is his diminished popularity toward the end of his life, when he realized that in the grand scheme of things, getting laws passed was easy but changing people’s intransigent hearts was difficult. He mentioned this and literally got killed. As a Christian, you will at times have the good favor of the crowd and at times will be an outcast; but take heart, Christ has overcome the world.
posted by Michael Jordan at 6:00 AM
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