Picked

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

PICKED

Acts 13:44-48

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

NIV

Nearly the whole town showed up the next week to hear the word of the Lord and this meant more gentiles then Jews at least that is what it appears. Why would the Jews who rejected Jesus be jealous about the gentiles accepting Jesus? Did they think they had a monopoly on God? Or rather they had a monopoly on religion. They must have thought themselves so much better than those gentiles who served other “Little g” gods, while they worshipped the God above all names, yet they rejected his word when it comes to Jesus being the one and only Son of God, the Messiah. Sometimes it is easier for a person that knows nothing or maybe a little about God to accept God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all as one, part and parcel, together all at once, then it is for a religious person who thinks they believe in and worshipped God, to add to their belief or change the way they think about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Now of course the Gentiles were glad when then heard Paul tell the Jews the Jesus came for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews. It is a good thing to be picked. When we stand in line waiting to be picked to be on the team, it is a good thing to hear our name called, it makes us feel wanted. The Gentiles felt wanted, that God wanted them on his team, that he sent Paul and Barnabas to call their names, to pick them. And all of them that honored the word of the Lord, all of them that accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, all of them that became born again, were appointed or assigned eternal life. They received eternal life because they honored the word of the Lord. This appointment, or assigning if eternal life was the result of their honoring the word of the Lord. The Gentiles as Gentiles were picked to be on the team, which is us.  We were chosen by God to be a part of the team as Gentiles. Paul told those Jews who were upset about Gentiles getting on the team, that because they rejected Jesus, and did not consider themselves worthy of eternal life the Gentiles were getting picked to be on the team and they would be getting the eternal life as they honored the word of the Lord. What a get feeling to know we are on the team. That because we honor, we believe the word of the Lord we have eternal life. Jesus brings us that eternal life. What more can we ask for in this world that would compare to eternal life? What more is there to life, then being on God’s team? We are on the winning team. Although it is true that God had chosen Israel to be his people, we Gentiles have now been picked. We are on the team