Today’s Scripture: Acts 14:15, NIV- “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”
We must turn to the living God every day. Do you recall Iconium in the Bible? I found it strange this morning as I read Acts 14:1 “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (NIV)
I have traveled through the Acts many times and yet this one word seemed entirely foreign to me as if I had never read the Word of God before. I know my memory is not very good and yet this is shocking me into the need to read God’s Word every single day. As good as we may think we know God’s commands, we cannot remember everything we have been told or even read several times.
We must be persistent. I also found it interesting that in Actis 14:2 we are told that “But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.” (NIV) What did Paul and Barnabas do? Did they quit? Did they move on to another town?
No, Acts 14:3 tells us they simply poured it on, “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.” (NIV) Who was it that confirmed their message? The Lord.
In the various translations we are told that the Lord:
- Enabled them to perform signs and wonders. (NIV)
- Gave them power to do miraculous signs and wonders (NLT)
- Granted them signs and wonders to be done by their own hands.(KJV)
There were still those among the Gentiles and Jews who attempted to abuse and stone them, so they did leave Iconium and moved on to the towns of Lystra and Derbe. Ok, I do not recall these towns either, but I am hearing the message of Acts 14:7 that “and there they continued to preach the gospel.” (ESV)
The message to me today is that we must keep preaching the gospel. The Lord will continue to provide the signs and wonders needed. The Lord provided the lame man and the power to Paul to heal him in Acts 14 8-10. Per usual, the people misinterpreted what was happening. In Acts 14:11 we are told the people said, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (NIV)
The people then began preparing to offer sacrifices to these two men because they thought they were gods and the power to heal had come from them. Which brings us to our verse and source of affirmation today in Acts 14:15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” (NIV)
I came into today convinced that my writing days were over. Yet here I am seeing things I have never seen or heard before. So, all I can do with my life is to continue to turn to the living God, preach His gospel, and trust His power to enable what He desires.
Will you turn to the living God and His Word today?
Today’s Prayer: Almighty Father in heaven, thank You for creating this world and all of us in it. I am thankful for Your servants who continued to bring us Your gospel even when they were threatened or did not feel like it. I am turning to You today Lord and trusting in Your power to do the signs and wonders that You alone desire. In the name of Jesus Christ, I am praying. Amen.
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