Acts 25:1-27
Here we go again. That's what I was thinking as I read Acts 25 today. In fact, the way Paul's life is going here in the latter chapters of Acts kind of reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. (Remember that one where Bill Murray relives the same day over and over?) Anyway, while Paul is in prison we can see that his passion for, and commitment to, the Lord remain strong. Pretty impressive given his less than desirable circumstances.
So how have you kept your fire and drive for the Lord when you've gone through extended tough times? Any scriptures that gave you encouragement or strength? And, what can we do now to prepare for serving the Lord through difficult circumstances when they arrive? Tami W.
This is almost a parallel to what Jesus suffered...Pilate to Herod and back to Pilot again because of false accusations.
The beauty of this passage (and yesterday's as well) is that more people got to hear the gospel. This time is is royalty from the known world.
The thing to remember for me is that God is always with me no matter what happens. In the Psalms it says that He goes before me and behind, and also that He prepares the way. Comforting thoughts!
I pray that one day I may have the same courage as Paul. He, obviously, had complete faith in the Lord, to accept whatever the Lord allowed to have happen to him. If left to Festus, he would have released Paul immediately. However, he did not want the court to perceive any favoritism, on his part. So he had to go through the motions, all the way to Augustus.
In my "tough times", the Holy Spirit has drawn me back in to the faith. As a result, my faith has grown more and more each day, in the Lord, which means my trust in the Lord has grown more and more, each day.
To prepare for further "tough times", I study the Word, to hide his Word in my heart, and I pray that the Lord will use me as He will.