18When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. (Acts 25)
The entire Jewish community wanted to see Paul dead. And they were willing to ambush him, which is why they pleaded with Felix to send Paul to Jerusalem. Paul, however, appealed to Caesar. This put the authorities in a bind. Here he was a prisoner, and as the above verses point out, the dispute was about their religion, and about a dead man named Jesus, who Paul claimed was alive.
So, Felix had a visitor, King Agrippa. And King Agrippa was listening to Felix’s dilemma concerning what to do about Paul. King Agrippa decided he wanted to hear Paul.
Things from a strictly human perspective seemed to go from bad to worse for Paul. And he had done nothing wrong. But, if we step back and look at things from a godly point of view, the Jews looked really petty, and Paul is getting an audience with a king, and will get one with Caesar himself.
So, what’s the take away? Maybe to take a step back and look. Take a moment and evaluate, or reevaluate, our circumstances according to how God views them.
So many of the day-to-day things we are concerned about, are not the things God is concerned about. God does not seem to be moved by our inconveniences, by our sense of time and timing. He does not seem to be concerned about our comfort – creature comforts.
God is primarily concerned about the heart. About our relationship with him. He is concerned that others come to know Christ. He is concerned that we become not only seekers, but followers. He is concerned that His Word accomplishes His purposes.
LORD, may we be obedient to your precepts. May we be the people you have called us to be. May we honor you with our lives, and be instruments of your love and peace. Selah.
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