Acts 14: 16 In the
past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet
he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving
you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with
plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even
with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to
them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the
crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he
was dead. 20 But after the disciples had
gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and
Barnabas left for Derbe.
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After the accident, I was
shaken up. The car was smashed beyond repair. Having no money to buy another
car, I had to walk to work. “If you are more than five minutes late, you will
be fired” were the words I remembered that haunted me. Exhausted from the extra
walking, I overslept and kept missing class. “Why did this happen to me?” I
cried out.
- There were times in my life that seemed extremely low.
- There were times in my life that seemed like everything was going wrong.
- There were times in my life that seemed as if nothing would go my way.
Paul kept trying to convince
the people not to worship him, but the more he spoke, the more they insisted on
bowing don to him. Church leaders from other cities heard about what was going
on and decided to put an end to the situation. Ignoring the miracle of Paul
healing a lame man, they stoned him to near death. BUT GOD had other plans for
Paul.
- GOD knows I will face difficulty in life.
- GOD knows I need HIM daily.
- GOD knows I will fall down, or get hurt, or be persecuted, BUT HE is there for me.
Instead of asking “Why does
GOD allow pain?” people rarely ask “What happened to make GOD curse humanity?”
I mean it must have been something extremely wrong that made GOD want to put
limits on humans. Unfortunately, when Satan desired to be like GOD and tricked
the humans into doing the same, it caused all humans to fall. What could be
done?
JESUS, being GOD, had to volunteer
to take the blame, even though HE did nothing wrong. HE died for the sins of
mankind and was raised from the dead. Speaking about HIM is a blessing, but the
curse makes people and demons extremely angry. They fight and harm those who truly
speak JESUS’ name. I am grateful GOD picks me up when I am down.
- Are you down because you speak the truth about JESUS?
- Have you been persecuted because of your belief in JESUS?
- Will you get back up or ask GOD to pick you up so you can continue with the purpose HE has given you?
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