God takes evil and makes it count for good

My Personal Devotional Saturday 2-14-15 (Home)  

Scripture reading:  Lev 23-24      Ps 24    Acts 21 

S.  Acts 21:21-22 Our Jewish Christians here at Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews living in the Gentile world to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They say that you teach people not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. Now what can be done? For they will certainly hear that you have come.  NLT 

O.  Paul later wrote that he tried to be “all things to all men, so that he could win some.” 1 Cor 9:20  “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;” KJV  He was willing to bend to the will of the church leadership in Jerusalem just so as to keep peace.  But it cost him dearly as can be seen in what occurred. 

Paul joined four Jewish men who had taken a week’s ceremonial vow.  He was asked to pay for their heads to be shaved and did so.  On the 7^th day the ceremony would be completed with animal sacrifices.  But the 7^th day never came for Paul.  A wild mob grabbed him and would have killed him, had it not been for the intervention of Roman soldiers.

We have no record of Paul ever complaining about what happened.   I would have been thinking, “I should have listened to the prophecies of my friends.”  Or “I should never have compromised my best judgment by bowing to the church leadership to go through this Jewish ceremonial act.”  I often wonder if Paul, while rotting in prison without a conclusive trial for the next two years, ever thought he had missed God’s will.

                                              

A.  Have I ever missed God’s best plan for my life?  I suppose many times.  Yet in His great mercy and love, He has taken my poor decisions and made them come out for good.  And I have often learned something to benefit me in later life. 

Paul now begins a period of many years in chains in prison.  Without being forced to slow down to a complete stop, this enthusiastic servant of God could never have written many of the letters that today serve us as our basis of true Christian doctrine. 

So… is my ever weakening voice telling me that God wants me to slow down and write? 

P.  Lord, I love to sing and preach Your Word.  And I also love to watch the glowing faces of little children as my ventriloquist dummy, Felipe, charms them with Bible stories and Gospel truths.  You have kept my body strong so that I do not lack for energy, yet recently I seem to have to force my voice to sing or even speak.  I pray for both healing and wisdom.  Please reveal to me if this weakened voice is a signal from You that I should slow my pace and dedicate more time to writing to encourage generations to come.  You well know that would represent a great sacrifice for me.  Yet I dare to ask You to speak, Lord, for I am listening.  Amen.

Ralph