Friday 5 May 2023

May 5: Acts 13:26-33

Key Verse: Acts 13:33
he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

Devotion:
As Paul continued to speak to them in Antioch, reminding them of their history and their scriptures, he now links them to what has happened to Jesus. Everything which they have written in their scriptures has come to pass without them realising it. This man Jesus who they had derided and crucified, had been raised up from the dead, witnessed by so many people as being alive again, had completed what God had the prophets write down in preparation for this.

Paul knew the scriptures because he had turned them against Christians before God confronted him. He was the one now standing up and telling people how true the scriptures were and how Jesus was the one who fulfilled them. How could this not be their Messiah! Paul had turned from being a persecutor to a witness.

When you go out into the world and see the things which people do against God, what do you do? As I see it, we have two choices. We can either ignore what our Bibles say and join in with the rest of the world doing whatever it is they are doing, or we can make a stand and we can be a witness for God.

We don’t have to be excellent public speakers. I can remember standing up in front of others for the first time in school and then in university and being terrified because I thought I did not know enough! It only takes a single piece of knowledge which you have and others don’t have to turn you into a teacher. If you are willing to trust God and allow Him to guide you in your words, then you will be like Paul and be able to tell them of your experiences – that is what being a witness is all about!

Points to Ponder:
Do you have a good relationship with God?

Have you told anyone about your relationship?