Saturday 24 Sep 2022

September 24: Acts 16:1-5

Key Verse: Acts 16:4
As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

Devotion:
I’m sure Paul had many revelations as he travelled around the Mediterranean countries. These verses retell what he encountered when he came to Lystra where Timothy lived. Timothy came from what was then seen as a mixed marriage where his father was Greek but his mother was a Jew. This was frowned upon at the time much like mixed marriages are frowned upon even in modern times. We think we are a bit more liberated and accept marriages between people from different countries, religions or other differences, but in reality there are still many people who hang on to the differences and refuse to accept them!

Paul could sense the tension around Timothy in the Jewish areas because people knew his father as being Greek. Paul tried to belay ill feelings by having Timothy circumcised to show he was following the ways taught by Jesus.

We know Jesus reached out to all people, but at the time the Jews saw Him as Jewish even if they did not all accept Him as their Jewish Messiah! People’s inward feelings and beliefs often go much further than we realise. The Jews around them at the time did not want to accept any half-breed, but once their eyes and hearts were open to the truth about Jesus, I’m sure their beliefs would be changed.

Sometimes we do not have the luxury of time to wait for everyone to accept change and we have to make a change in order for them to be able to see that change is possible. What we cannot do is make those changes by ourselves because we cannot fully trust our own emotions. Christ gives us the Holy Spirit so we can make more informed decisions. Our church will grow stronger in faith the more we rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and less on our own emotions.

Points to Ponder:
Do you allow you emotions to could your judgement?

Will you entrust judgment to the Holy Spirit instead?