By the Power of the SpiritExemplo

Going Around and Coming Around

We come to the final chapter of Acts.

Paul (Saul), the once-persecutor of Jesus-followers, is now in custody himself for preaching the message of Jesus, the Messiah of God. He has been handed from court to court (with no real conviction in any of them) and is finally sent off to Rome for his final trial.

Through all of this, God’s words to Ananias have come true: “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name,’” (Acts 9:15-16).

Both conditions in this prophecy have come true. Paul has preached the Gospel to the Gentiles and their kings through his trials and imprisonments. He has stood before rulers to plead his case and spoken with soldiers and the people. The Gospel of God’s love and Kingdom, the good news of Jesus Christ, has been spread to the Gentiles more through Paul’s imprisonment than through any other means.

The suffering was not an obstacle; it was the path.

That’s hard to accept. Men, we want to think that the path of the righteous is smooth and that if we face difficulty, it is because we are somehow out of God’s plan for our lives.

The reality is different. The path God sets before us may be smooth, it may be difficult, or it may be each in its own season. That does not change how we put one foot in front of the other and move forward in our mission. We are called to faithfully walk the path before us, proclaiming the Kingdom of God in all our circumstances.

Prayer: God, I do not always like the road before me. Help me to walk it faithfully, proclaiming Your goodness and mercy and making it available to all. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflection: What are your most difficult circumstances to follow God in? How can you commit to following Him faithfully, no matter what the circumstances?