A Bad Choice

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

 A BAD CHOICE

Acts 27:13-20

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17 When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

NIV

Sometimes the best laid plans of men are destroyed by forces they have no control over. We are seeing that truth played out for us in this portion of their travels attempting to get to Rome. Even when we think we have everything in place, a nice gentle  south wind and we think we have what we want to get through live in the manner we want, forces can arise which we have no control over and completely change everything, in fact, it might even appear we are not going to survive the crisis. We will see in the next portion of this story that God does intervene and all are saved, but for now we must focus on the concept of these forces that do in fact change the course of our lives. We cannot be as bold as to think we have our lives completely under our own control and that we have absolute autonomy from outside influences beyond our plans. Now whether it was God who caused that hurricane force storm to prove to the ship owner, the pilot and the centurion that they should have listened to Paul in the first place, or that the storm was just the forces of nature which, again, God had set in motion, it changed their lives in such a dramatic way they became men without hope. They were facing their mortality and their inability to save themselves. We cannot afford to even think we are in control of our own destiny as we are but the creation of God and he will direct our paths. God has absolute authority, complete sovereignty and we cannot live without hope. No matter what difficult situations in life bring us we have to believe it is because of the will of God or because we, like those men made a stupid choice, a bad decision based on human understanding rather than Godly advice. If it is God, than we have to see the reason, and know that he desires us to change the course of our journey in some manner. We cannot live without hope as we know he will never forsake us, and that his love for us always prevails and thus he knows what is best for our life. The truth here is that we should not set sail from where we are unless God directs us so. Had they listened to Paul, who had heard from God, to stay in port and not put out to sea, even though all appeared fine, they would not have experienced all that hardship and thus lost all hope. In addition, which we will see, the ship owner lost all his cargo, thus his profit, as well as his ship, which may well have put him in serious debt. We are not sure if this desire to achieve his profit was a factor in his decision to press on, even against the advice of a Godly man, but moving on when God advises to stay can be disastrous, both to life itself as well as to any material gain we hope to have. Our lesson here is to make sure we know what God desires in our life, what he is leading, then we just need to follow. In doing so we can forego a bad choice. 

Right Advice

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

RIGHT ADVICE

Acts 27:9-12

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

NIV

The time that is referred to here as after the Fast would by most counts mean the celebration of the Day of Atonement which by our calendar was in September. This was right around the fall equinox and by historical accounts the Mediterranean Sea becomes rather violent. Paul’s warning might have come from his knowledge of the Sea being a seasoned traveler, or perhaps he had been inspired by the Spirit of the pending dangers ahead. We might assume this part of the voyage was already a little tricky as the normal crew was not piloting the ship, as we are told there was the ship owner and the pilot who thought it was alright to proceed. It would appear the ship was indeed under contract by the Roman government as the Centurion had the authority to make the decision whether to proceed or not. What life lesson can we glean from all this? Could we apply the principle that is declared in the first Psalm? It would have been far better for the Centurion to have taken advice from Paul, then from those unbelievers. Because we are told Paul warned them, we do have to believe that he had some warning from the Spirit, as God knows all things including our future. It is always far better to listen to Godly advice rather than that of the human mind. We cannot be sure why both the owner and pilot thought it proper to proceed. Perhaps they were hoping to finish this voyage as soon as possible getting rid of the Centurion and his prisoners. Whatever their reason it was based on human choice rather on Godly advice. Some people are certainly willing to offer their advice and do so absolutely free. But advice from the human mind, especially of those who do not listen to God, is not the best to listen to, in fact, we are not to listen to it at all. It is also noted that those who live within the human realm seldom listen to Godly advice. To unbelievers our lives do not seem to be the right way to live. In reality their lives are not the right way to live, and we should not allow their thinking to infiltrate our decisions, but we should remain steadfast in our belief that God will direct our paths. Had they listened to Paul they would have foregone a great deal of pain and suffering. The owner of the ship would not have lost his ship, which we will see he does. His crew, the rest of his cargo would have been save, and his purse would have been much fuller. We cannot accept the advice of those who do not listen to God, but it would also be fair to say it would be wise to listen to the counsel of a fellow believer, if we discern that believer has not been compromised by the ways of the world. Because we have the inspired word of God to refer to, advice that is Godly will always agree with what the Bible says. If any advice given is not in agreement with the Word of God, then it is not Godly advice but rather worldly advice and therefore not to be listened to. Of all the people who would have known Paul was a man who heard from God, the centurion would have, yet he listened to the wrong people and their future was set for hardship. There is much advice available and we need to make sure we are listening to the right advice.     

Kindness

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

KINDNESS

Acts 27:3-8

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

NIV

Certainly a tale of traveling the rough seas is what we are seeing here, but with the interjection of Paul being allowed to go ashore to meet with fellow Christians and have some food and fellowship. Surely Julius was not concerned that Paul would attempt escape, of course he was chained to a Roman soldier, who must have been treated well by Paul and his companions as well as the believers in Sidon. We might assume that Julius had this impression of Paul due to the attitude of both Festus and Agrippa toward Paul’s innocence. We could further our sense of the parallel of this hard journey to the hardships that exist in the journey of our lives, noting that at times we might have to travel in a direction we have not planned on due to certain forces that cause our course in life to go differently, but having already seen that, we should remain focused on Julius’s kindness of Paul. We should note that it may not be unusual for unbelievers to exhibit kindness toward believers. Just because someone does not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior does not mean they are a bad person, it just means they are unbelievers. But we should not assume unbeliever means a vial nasty person. True, they are sinners, but then we are also sinners, but we have been saved through grace, and not of any works of our own, lest we boast. Unbelievers are more than capable of showing kindness toward others, as well as many other admirable qualities, in fact, some of them might put us to shame in that department. Perhaps this is our life lesson, in that we could be as Paul, the recipient of kindness from an unbeliever, or we could be like Julius and be the person who exhibits kindness toward others. Either way life should be filled with kindness rather than the opposite. It is easy to be unkind, as that may well be the default attitude, especially if we are self-centered. But there is also showing kindness for the purpose of looking good, or self-edification. That is when kindness is shown it is done so the person showing that kindness is highly considered. Kindness needs to be done in humility for it to be true kindness. This can be done by both believers and unbelievers alike, but as we are believers we need to allow the Spirit to grow that fruit in our lives. We also need to see that within the human spirit it is also possible to show the quality of kindness, as Julius showed Paul. So perhaps as believers we should possess a double dose of kindness. 

Setting Sail

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

SETTING SAIL

Acts 27:1-2

27:1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

NIV

This whole chapter is dedicated to the travels aboard ship in an attempt to reach Rome so Paul can appeal his case to Caesar. In reality we need to deal with the whole chapter all at once, but that would be difficult in some sense, yet the life lesson is in the conclusion of this chapter. What can we learn from this introduction to the sailing of the ship? We should note that this ship they boarded was not owned by the Roman government. In those days ships were merchant vessels caring goods from port to port and passengers, even a detachment of Roman soldiers with prisoners needed to find passage on a ship heading in the general direction of their destination. It was not like the Centurion owned a ship that they could board and travel straight to Rome on. Sometimes life can take us into ports we may not really need to go. We are going to see their travels take them to many places along the way, places they had to go because of the winds and the seas, places that were not part of their plans. When we set sail on the course of our life, we for the most part, have a plan, a destination in mind. We put out to the sea of life. We may even have some traveling companions with us as Paul had, all with the same mind, having the same journey, but as with Paul for different reasons. His companions, including Luke, who is the author, as inspired by the Spirit, of this record of acts. We will deal with this traveling where we might not want to go a little later in the chapter, but for now we should focus on the lesson of traveling with companions. We should note that none of them, Paul or his companions were in charge of their travels, unless of course we consider all the travels are a result of Paul appealing to Caesar. But, nevertheless they were all traveling along with him and none of them including Paul had control of the ship, the winds and the seas, which meant the route they would travel attempting to reach their destination was up to various conditions. Although we can learn it is not good for us to travel through life alone, that it is good to have traveling companions, we also must realize that life can take us along a route we may not have any control over on the way to our destination. It is good to have a destination, in that setting out into the sea of life with no place to go affords little meaning to life at all. We must also note that for us believers our destination is not of the world, but rather is of the kingdom of God. For us to determine a physical destination of life, whether that be desired professional or monetary goal is in fact no real destination at all, but merely ports of call which we can be distracted by enough so that we lose sight of our final destination and perhaps even decide to settle down and leave the life on the high seas, striving for our final resting place. So now that we have set sail, let us sail on. 

Insane

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

INSANE

Acts 26:24-32

24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane." 25 "I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do." 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" 29 Paul replied, "Short time or long — I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." 30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 They left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment." 32 Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

NIV

Paul gets to his conclusion only to be thought, by Festus, to be insane, or at least out of his mind. It is not unusual for unbelievers to think some Christians are out of their minds. Although today it does seem there are unbelievers, who talk as though they believe Jesus is alive, but do not either read the Bible or believe it is the very word of God. It does seem that in Paul’s time people like Festus would never believe a man could come back from the dead, and thus hearing Paul’s testimony about Jesus being alive, after he died on a Roman cross, would make him think Paul was crazy. Now it is true that if we believers actually live as believers we might be considered out of our minds. The trouble is that many of us live hardly any different than unbelievers, except maybe for the fact we attend a church on Sunday morning, but then so do many unbelievers. How would they ever know or accuse us of being out of our minds if we appear to be much the same as they are? When we are with them, what do we talk about? For that matter when we are with each other, what do we talk about? Some sports team, or figure? Maybe a little politics, or investment strategy, other people, and maybe even about the weather. The point is, do we talk about Jesus being raised from the dead, and about our encounter with Jesus on the road of our life? Do we talk about the fact that Jesus points out that we were blinded by our life, but that he gives us sight into the eternal? That is the story of Paul on the road to Damascus and it is our story on the road to death. Festus heard the message and was under the impression that what Paul was saying was for the purpose of getting Festus to see the truth about Jesus and become a believer, which is exactly what Paul confesses. This is our life lesson, in that we should be living and talking as though we believe Jesus is alive and that he has appeared to us and caused us to see the truth. Then it just might be that many people would think we are out of our minds, insane. True, they might not actually call us insane, but rather weak minded, foolish, stupid, naïve or simple minded, but the true is they rather think we are insane. 

Light

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

LIGHT

Acts 26:19-23

19 "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

NIV

Certainly not a single person who had such a vision as Paul had would ever dream of being disobedient to that vision. If Jesus actually appeared before for us and told us what we must do, first repenting of our sinful life, and second as to what task he has called us to do, we would no doubt comply one hundred percent as Paul did. The part of Paul’s testimony that is somewhat bothersome is when we says that people such repent and turn to God, which is certainly understandable, but then he goes on to say they should prove their repentance by their deeds. What does he mean by that? We know we cannot earn salvation by deeds, but if we repent of our sinful life, then our deeds, or our behavior should prove we have indeed repented. It is not about what kind of work or efforts we do, but that we prove by our life that we have repented. We no longer do or behave in the manner we did before we repented. We cannot continue to behave in the same manner, as our behavior is what shows what is in our hearts. If Jesus or the Spirit is dwelling within our heart, then our deeds, our behavior should reflect the Spirit rather than the self which once controlled our behavior. When we turn to God we turn away from that old self, and our nature is now new, and this nature should be like Jesus. Paul was not only making that point to Festus and Agrippa but to those Jews who wanted to kill him. They confessed God but by their very desire to commit murder had not really turned to God as well as proved by their deeds they have done so. They were religious but still controlled by their sinful nature, thus never really repenting and turning to God. The other aspect of what Paul said we in that fact that although they did try to kill him, he had God’s help and here he stands able to tell the story. This is proof that God will see us through it all, so that we can bring him glory, so that we can continue to tell the story of his love, grace, mercy, provision, protection and direction in our lives. We have seen the light of Christ and we have been told that we now are the light of the world, and that we should let our light shine so that other will see that light and find their way to Jesus, the true light. If we have repented and turned to God,  our light will shine both in our behavior and in our words.

His Voice

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

HIS VOICE

Acts 26:12-18

12 "On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'  15 "Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 16'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' 

NIV

So both Festus and Agrippa as well as all those present in the court have heard just how Paul lived as a Jew who hated anyone who had anything to do with Jesus of Nazareth, and now they, as well as we, are hearing about Paul’s encounter, in person, with that same Jesus of Nazareth. Here is where some of us might separate ourselves from Paul in the sense that we recognize this happened to Paul, but think it would never happen to us. Paul believed because he saw Jesus and we have to believe on faith, without ever actually encountering Jesus in person. Paul’s conversion was due to an overwhelming miracle, seeing this bright light, hearing the voice of Jesus and being blinded, having Jesus give him a personal calling as to what he was to do. Many of us have to sort of guess as to what the Lord would have us to do as we may not have actually heard the voice of Jesus telling us. This, of course, opens the door to our own thoughts as to what we want to do, instead of what Jesus wants us to do. Yet we have more than enough evidence within the scriptures which indicate that God will speak to us and give us personal direction as to what we should do. Sometimes we make excuses for God by saying that he has said, “Wait” or “No” or Not right now” instead of simply saying we have not heard from him yet. If Jesus intervened into Paul’s life in such a dramatic way, was he the only one worthy of that kind of intervention? We also already witnessed Paul’s interaction with the Spirit, warning him of what to expect. Why only Paul? Why not us? The answer is God does intervene in our lives and he does so in supernatural ways. He even speaks to us, in an audible voice, if we are listening. Paul’s companions saw the light, but did not heard the voice of Jesus, only Paul did, and perhaps it was meant to be such, but it also could have been because Paul was willing to listen. The point here, the life lesson for us here is that God speaks to his people to first call them from their past lives, and then to give them instructions, specific instructions, beyond all those we have in his collective words we call the Bible. Yes, he can speak to us from the scripture. He speaks volumes to us about himself and our relationship with him and how we should behave as his children, as any parent does with their children. But he also gets personally involved in our lives, speaking directly to us when the need arises, when he has something special for us to do. He may work a miracle to get our attention in our lost condition, as he did with Saul. God can do anything he wants to do, even allow us to actually hear his voice. 

Tell the Story

DEVOTION

                                                                       THE BOOK OF ACTS

TELL THE STORY

Acts 26:9-11

9 "I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

NIV

Here is where Paul testifies as to just how bad a man he was, although he is making the case he was just like those who are bringing the charges against him. But in some sense he is saying he was even worse in his opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The point here is that he is telling the details of his former life, as he is going to get to the place or his experience of conversion. This is our life lesson in a nutshell. So often we do not include just how bad a person we were, at least not the details. Some believers might think by doing so, we give Satan too much credit, others might think they actually were not such a bad person but merely had not made a complete commitment to Christ. But the point here is that we all are sinners saved by grace. All of us were at one time really bad people, opposed to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, in fact some of us actually used his name in vain. The point is that if we are not born again than we are opposed to the name of Jesus. We are also encouraged here to tell the story of our past or former life, even if it is bad. Paul was identifying himself with those who oppose what he now stands for. He was just like them. We were just like the people we talk to who have yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Sure many people are basically good people, not murderers, thieves, rapists, adulteress or liars, sneaks and cheaters. But everyone is a sinner and some are if not in actual behavior, in attitude, totally opposed to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. In all actuality many have an obsession against Jesus, and might think we are such a goody two shoes, because of our higher then mighty appearance. Yet if we were to tell them of how we were before we accepted Jesus, it might help them to see we are not much different than them, but that we have experienced Jesus in a personal way and he changed our life. Of course they might be just as those Jews were that opposed Paul’s belief in Jesus. They did not see themselves as bad men, but as holy and righteous before God, and Paul is the one who has left the right way to live. Some people we encounter might think they are good people and do not need to be born again, for they believe they believe in God, and in Jesus and even go to church some times. But that does not or should not deter us from telling them the story of our life and how we encountered Jesus in a personal way. We do not know what is in their heart, only God does, and they may need to hear a real story of conversion to see the truth of their life. We are not giving Satan any glory for our past life, but we are giving God all the glory for his intervention and our salvation. So let us tell the story.

No Incredible

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

NO INCREDIBLE

Acts 26:4-8

4 "The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

NIV

After Paul asks Agrippa to listen patiently, he begins with testifying as to who he was before he met Jesus. The fact is Paul was the same, if not worse than those who have brought charges against him and want him killed. Paul must be aware of the conversation between Festus and Agrippa concerning Paul’s belief that a dead man is alive because of his question as to why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead. This is where we get our life lesson for today. It would seem that we Christians have absolutely no doubt that God raised Jesus from the dead, in fact, we really do not even consider it incredible, we just believe it to be true. Yet many believers struggle so much with believing God will provide for us, or direct us, or heal us, or for that matter do anything supernatural for us. The fact is that God is capable of doing anything and he told us if we believe, he will do anything we ask of him in the name of Jesus. Now why is that so incredible? Why should we look for God to work through human efforts? God did not need any human to raise Jesus from the dead. God did not need to human to appear to Paul and speak to him. All throughout the Old Testament we find God acting without the help of humans, so why would he need to use humans now to do what he wants to do? Paul talked about the promise the twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. This is our lesson also in that we should be earnestly serving God, rather than being so concerned about our own affairs. God promised the Jews a Savior and he gave them one. God has promised us he will do so much for us and he will, but we do need to believe it. Although God did in fact send Jesus as their Savior, as the Christ, the Messiah, they did not believe it and thus they missed out on the greatest blessing of their lives. We cannot afford to miss out on all the blessings God has for us, because we do not believe. Now it is true that we should not live only to get all the blessings, as we should be serving God day and night, but doing so, believing God will provide all the promises he has told us that he will do. He will not withhold any good thing from those who love him. We need to live without thinking anything God does is incredible as he is God and can do anything. There is no incredible when it comes to God.

Listen Patiently

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

LISTEN PATIENTLY

Acts 26:1-3

26:1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

NIV

Paul begins with the standard compliment, yet not really a compliment but the fact that Paul feels fortunate to be able to witness to King Agrippa. The only positive statement he makes about the king is that is he well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Paul does not actually flatter Agrippa with a bunch of platitudes. But he does beg him to listen patiently. That is because Paul is going to tell a very long story, a complete defense of his actions based on his beliefs which the Jews want him killed for. This could be a clue to us in the form of a life lesson. Sometimes we simply response to what someone says and get into a discussion that begins to become more of an argument then a witness. Perhaps we have a clue here as to how we might avert such mayhem in our efforts to share the gospel with others. Maybe we could simply say something like Paul said. Maybe we could start out such as, “Friend, I consider myself fortunate to be with you today as I have something very important to speak with you about, especially because you are well acquainted with all the Christian customs and controversies, so I ask you to please listen to me patiently”. Then we could proceed, hopefully without interruptions, about our prior life and our conversion experience with Jesus. That is simply telling who we were and what happened to us that turned our life around. Later we will see Agrippa's response and what Paul says in return, but for now we should stay focused on this idea or method of sharing the message. First things first, telling the story of our life. There is nothing controversial about telling about our own life. Who can say this is not who we were and that what happened to us, did not happen? Although Paul was summoned before Festus and Agrippa and was asked to defend himself against the charges against him, we still can make a similar type approach. We might not be summoned to share our life story, but in the normal course of life, we encounter times when conversations have opportunities for us to start our discourse. Once again, that would be the time to make that previously stated introductive statement. If they are not willing to listen patiently then don’t bother, as it will become a debate or worst yet and argument which gains nothing but establishing a greater chasm then existed before. The key word here is asking them to listen patiently.    

Humble

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

HUMBLE

Acts 25:23-27

23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: "King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."

NIV

We  are going to get the great witness of Paul before Agrippa but first we have to experience the great pomp of Agrippa's entrance. Although he is not the king of Judea or of Israel per say and according to history he really was king over the temple, with the right to select the high priest and also was given authority over a few small areas by the Roman government, rather than by the people of Israel. He really was not much of a king at all, yet here he arrives with all the pomp and ceremony of some royal king of great stature. As we can clearly see that Festus has no desire to have Paul put to death and would like to have a reason at least to put something of substance in his letter to Caesar why he is sending Paul to him, we should focus today on this Agrippa. There will always be those who desire the pomp and ceremony when then enter a room. This basically is the result of thinking more highly of one self then should be. It is true that he is somewhat a king, and as such should be offered some respect for his position, but as a man he should have deferred that respect with a humble heart. This is our life lesson. We have read about those in the synagogue who invite the man dressed well to sit up front, while those dressed less well to sit on the floor in the back. There is something within human nature that causes us to desire pomp when we enter the room, considering ourselves worthy of such. But it is the human nature and not the Spirit which desires this. Jesus lived a humble life of service to people, no pomp, no ceremony, just Jesus and if anyone was worthy, it would be him. We must be careful not to expect any pomp about our lives, our entrance onto the stage of life, or into a room. If we humble ourselves before God he will lift us up. And if we humble ourselves before God how can we not do the same before men? We cannot be humble before God and haughty before men, it just doesn’t work that way. Even if we have a position with some authority for the reason for the authority is the responsibility. Responsibility should bring humility rather than expectation of pomp or honor, fame and glory. What we have here is an encouragement to remain humble at all times. 

Tasked to Tell

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

TASKED TO TELL

Acts 25:13-22

13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. He said: "There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. 16 "I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar." 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him."

NIV

This is a big chuck of scripture, but it really is only a conversation between Festus and King Agrippa. Basically it is a conversation of two unbelievers about a believer. Neither of them truly understand exactly want the controversy is all about. From history we can learn that Agrippa was educated in Rome and was actually not the king of Judea, but merely had some territories with Caesars permission. The interesting point of their discussion is the opposing views about Jesus being dead or alive. Most unbelievers would argue he is dead. If a person truly believes Jesus is alive then by all accounts that person would have to be considered a believer. How could someone who lived over two thousand years ago be alive unless he was God? Yet it seems we have people who say they believe in God and in Jesus but have absolutely no desire to follow the plan of salvation or the way of scripture or in fact the very words of Jesus who told us that in order to enter the kingdom of God we must be born again. How can someone who believes in God not believe in what God says? It appears neither Festus, being a Roman, and Agrippa, being a Jew, had any thoughts of their own on the matter, as  Festus has already heard Paul, and Agrippa is wanting to hear him at this point. We are going to see a well laid out plan of the Gospel in Paul’s speech to Agrippa but for now all we have is this conversation between these two unbelievers. At least Agrippa did not refute what Festus said about the two points of view, yet it also seems strange that he spoke about the Jews religion as if Agrippa wasn’t a Jew. But the life lesson here is for us to recognize there are many people who know about religion and may know about God and Jesus but do not actually know about God’s plan for man, actual faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Here is where we are tasked to inform them. Go into all the world and tell them about Jesus. 

Honor God

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

HONOR GOD

Acts 25:8-12

8 Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar." 9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?" 10 Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" 12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"

NIV

We are about to go to Rome, but before we get there we find Paul standing before Festus having heard the charges against him by the Jews and now making his defense. From this narrative we are not seeing Paul explaining all the points of his defense as he did before Felix, but rather the simple statement that he has done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or the temple and most importantly to Festus, against Caesar. We do have the rest of the conversation which details the result of Paul appealing to Caesar and as a Roman citizen, under Roman law he has that right and therefore we are headed to Rome. It would seem our life lesson for today is from what Paul told Festus about his behavior. The fact that Paul did nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or the temple or Caesar might be difficult to translate into our present day lives but there could be some applications. Let us consider what would be similar to the law of the Jews first. This is the basis for their religion. Although Paul preached Jesus being the Messiah, it was not against the basis of their religion, as the Prophets pointed directly to Jesus. Today we do not have the law, but we have the scriptures. As long as we preach what the scripture says, we are doing no wrong. True some would say there are different interpretations, but that is what the case was with Paul and the Jews. They saw the law, and the prophets differently, Paul was right, they were wrong. This certainly points to the simple truth that if we stay with the scripture we will not be doing anything wrong against it. As far as the temple, we could relate that to our local church or even to our particular denomination which we determined to associate ourselves with. As long as we are partaking in fellowship with a certain church we should not preach against it, or for that matter, speak negatively about it. Paul followed the prescribed method of ceremonially cleansing himself before going to the temple, showing respect for the meaning of its importance in his life, the place to worship God. We should do no less then to respect the house of God, the church as a place to worship him. Now when we consider that Paul did nothing wrong against Caesar, we could certainly relate that to the laws of our land. Caesar or as we refer to the Roman Empire certainly had laws, decrees which all Roman citizens were subject to or be punished. Although Caesar was considered, if by only himself, as a god, Paul was not in any way indicating he worshipped Caesar, but only that he had not offended Roman law. The truth of the whole matter is in fact in the words of Jesus about rendering onto Caesar what is Caesars and onto God what is Gods. God is actually an anarchist never intending that any man should rule over another man, or has the right to steal another man’s possession, which in fact are exactly what taxes are. But we should focus more on the case that we have a form of self-governess and we have agreed to abide by the laws of this country therefore we should not doing any wrong which would include such things, like speeding or illegally parking and the such. Most of the other laws like stealing, killing, rape, and such are actually laws borrowed from God. Living a life defined by God rather than by man will always bring us to a defense, the same as Paul’s, which is honoring God. 

No Proof

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

NO PROOF

Acts 25:1-7

25:1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong." 6 After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.

NIV

So two years have passed and Felix is gone, having never decided the case against Paul. Now Festus is on the scene and once again the chief priests and Jewish leaders are after him to judge the case. But they really are not interested in the case against Paul being judged as we see their real motive is to have Paul killed. This is all a repeat of what we have seen before, but Festus is not going to fall for their scheme and makes them come to him. It is interesting that he tells them to press charges against Paul, if he has done anything wrong. This would imply Festus is approaching this with no bias against Paul. But our life lesson is in the statement about them bringing many serious charges against Paul, which they could not prove. We certainly can apply that truth to gossip. We may all too often talk about other people and what they have said or done without actual prove to verify it is true. But even if it is true, what business is it of ours? We must always remember, if we are not part of the problem or the solution, we should remain silent about the matter. But the real application here is within our own thoughts. Do we think something about another person without being about to prove that which we think is true? That is do we have an opinion about someone, in a critical or judgmental way just because we may not like them. Perhaps jealously or envy play a part in our thinking judgmentally about them, seeing them as something they are not, something we have absolutely no proof of. It is one thing to form an opinion based on facts, but we should not if there are not facts, in fact it isn’t even Christ-like to form any negative opinion about someone for that would be against the law of love. We need to be ever vigilant against thoughts or words that are aimed at another person, especially when we have no proof for them. Even if another person has offended us, we have no right to bring charges against them to others, but we should go directly to that person privately and resolve the matter, doing so not as the chief priests did with Paul, as thinking they were right, and his was wrong, but as equals and humbly restoring fellowship.  

Witnessing Well

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

WITNESSING WELL

Acts 24:22-27

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. "When Lysias the commander comes," he said, "I will decide your case." 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs. 24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. 27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

NIV

It appears Felix really did not want to actually arrive at a judgment as he kept finding some reason not to make his decision. But we see here he was acquainted with the Way. He knew about this movement that has been growing all over the Roman Empire and even in regions beyond. Now it could have been due to his wife being a Jewess or simply because he was the Governor and had many advisors who kept him informed of all the activity under his charge. But either way he wanted to hear more about the Way. Perhaps as we already noted his interest was pricked when Paul mentioned about the resurrection of the dead. Although we see that Felix and his wife had many conversations about faith in Jesus Christ and Paul was able to talk to him about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, which brought fear in Felix. Here we have the gospel in a nutshell, those who are saved are in and those who are not are out. It is also interesting that Felix was hoping Paul would offer him a bribe. This confirms the fact Felix did not want to judge the case because he did not believe Paul was guilty of the charges against him, but at the same time he did not want to anger the Jews bringing the charges. His course of action was more of self-preservation than of one of justice. Perhaps this is the reason Paul spoke about righteousness and self-control, understanding the heart of Felix through the gift of discernment as empowered by the Spirit. This could be our life lesson. Once again we learn that the words we use should be inspired by the Spirit in our conversations with those who need to know more about the Way. Many men can reason with great intellect using their human knowledge to argue their case. But it really does not matter our educational background, our amount of degrees or knowledge. What matters when it comes to discussion about faith in Christ Jesus is knowing the Spirit will inspire our words. The Spirit knows the heart of men, and sees the true need within and he will reveal that to us when needed. Some might be able to quote scripture, sighting chapter and verse, which serves mainly to show their great knowledge of scripture, but serves little to the need of the person hearing. We need to listen to the Spirit and simply speak the words needed of the heart and mind of those who we speak with. Paul’s interest was only in filling a need in the heart of Felix. Paul was not concerned of his own interest, other than to serve the Lord. This should be our goal as well. The secret of effective witness is to listen to the Spirit.  

Hope

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

HOPE

Acts 24:17-21

17 "After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'"

NIV

This is the rest of Paul’s defense that he is giving to Felix the Roman Governor. If anyone with a unbiased ear heard what Paul was saying, that person would certainly find no fault with him. But there is more at state then a simply judgment of the facts. Yet it certainly is true these Jews were bringing false charges against Paul because he was disrupting their power base. They were losing followers to the Way. If they truly were seeking God and all his truth, they would see Jesus Christ as fulfilling all that was written about the Messiah and would believe. So Paul tells Felix exactly what he had being doing which caused these Jews to incite a riot against him. He was doing what any good Jew would do, become ceremonially clean, go to the temple, bring gifts for the poor, and present offerings. How could that be bad? So it was not what he was doing, but the fact he was in the way of their authority over the people. But Paul not only tells Felix about the facts of his behavior, but he gets in the whole issue of the resurrection of the dead. This would not be a part a Romans belief. They had so many gods, temples, rituals, traditions they had taken or adopted from cultures they had conquered over the centuries, but a resurrection of the dead was not part of what they believed and Paul, being a Roman citizen would have fully known this. So he gets his witness in before Felix while he is defending his actions among the Jews. This could be our life lesson. Knowing the beliefs of those we are endeavoring to witness to about Jesus Christ may well be our door opener, but at the same time we need to use something which will give them hope. Felix would not have considered life after death, but now after what Paul said about the resurrection of the dead, Felix would now be thinking about the idea that he could live past death. Hope comes in the morning. Our witness about Jesus should bring hope to the hopeless. Now it is true there are some denominations who consider themselves to be Christian, yet much like the Jews of Paul’s time are more religious and insistent on obedience to laws, or rules and regulations of their church then the truth of scripture. A witness to these people still needs to be one of hope rather than of tearing down their beliefs. Paul witnessed to Felix without any damaging language about the polytheists beliefs of Romans. We need to witness without damaging language about the beliefs of those who we desire to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to. 

Clear Conscience

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

CLEAR CONSCIENCE

Acts 24:10-16

10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

NIV

Now it is Paul's turn to tell his story, the truth of the matter. Although he acknowledges that Felix has been a judge over this nation for many years, he does not attempt to inflate his ego with eloquent words. What Paul does do is simply relate what he believes and what he strives to do. He makes it clear that he worships the same God as all Jews worship, the God of their fathers, however he also admits he does so as a follower of the Way, which was the name used to define those who call themselves Christians. Paul makes it clear he believes or agrees with the Law and what the Prophets had written. This of course is his defense for believing in Jesus Christ, as the Prophets wrote about him and the whole purpose of the Law was to prove men needed Jesus Christ because they could not be righteous by keeping the Law perfectly. There is so much here for us to consider as a life lesson, but of course most of what Paul says here is already an integral part of our lives as believers. But the one statement he makes about striving to always keep his conscience clear before God and man could very well serve as a very important facet of our lives that we might need to improve on. Certainly there should be no problem about having a clear conscience before man, as that would imply our truthfulness as well as our care in not offending others. Yet Paul certainly seemed to offend many Jews by expressing the truth about Jesus Christ. So perhaps having a clear conscience before man, would mean telling them about Jesus. But to have a clear conscience before God is entirely a different thing. What is required to have a clear conscience before God? Certainly that would include our attitudes toward other men. Paul did not hate, or was even angry about his accusers. He was not hurt by what they said about him, or that they were upset and angry about what he said or did. His mission was to share the gospel message with them in love and that was it. His attitude toward all men was that of love for them. He endured hardship at their hands, but he continued to respond with concern about their salvation. His conscience was clear before God. Although Paul was not without sin, he still was able to have a clear conscience because he knew the power of prayer, and the grace of God. He knew the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is something his accusers could not comprehend as they were still trying to find righteousness in adherence to the Law. We have the same opportunity as Paul had, and we can have that clear conscience both before man and before God. 

Dipped in Honey

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

DIPPED IN HONEY

Acts 24:1-9

24:1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. 5 "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him." 9 The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.

NIV

How powerful are lies when they are dripping with sugar and honey. The sweet sounding words of a silver tongued presentation seem to have such honesty and flattery but in actuality are nothing but an attempt to manipulate, yet they are still just lies. These charges against Paul are just that, lies and the high priest knows full well they are. The lawyer was trying to make Felix think they were so in agreement with his rule over them, so that he would agree with their side of the case. Here is the life lesson for us. First we should be intensely aware there are those with silver tongues, wolves in sheep’s clothing that have such sweet sounding words dripping with honey for the singular purpose of persuading, seducing people to their side. These are the false teachers of the word of God. These are the ones who lie for their own self-interest. But this life lesson also applies to how we handle situations with other people. The truth is not difficult to express and can be done in simple terms, but lies need to be flowered with honey dipped words to make it sound so good no one could perceive it to be lies. So this twofold application of this truth should ever be in the forefront of our consciousness. Although telling the truth can be done in simple words, as we see in this narrative a lie requires a much different approach. There is no question the truth is the only biblical way to live but that might not always get the desired result for a person whose main goal is forged in self-interest. This high priest and the elders were filled with self-interest although their position in the community was supposed to be looking after the spiritual welfare of their people. Self-interest may be the central cause of lies. Thus we should be aware of our main focus as believers which should not be self, but rather in serving our Lord, bringing glory and honor to him. We have seen this in action in the life of Jesus, and we have seen an example of a man following in his footsteps in the life of Paul. Should we not also do the same? We do not need words dripped in honey to tell the truth. 

No Rushing

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

NO RUSHING

Acts 23:31-35

31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.

NIV

It would seem there is not much here other than some soldiers carrying out their orders, which is what they do. There is also some information about a brief encounter with Felix. So what can we learn from this, or is this just a portion of a larger truth? It does seem as though Felix was of the opinion Paul was innocent until proven guilty as he did not put him in jail, but simply under guard in a palace. Perhaps that could be a lesson of sorts. The point being that we might not be as just as Felix in our thoughts about others when we hear something about them. Are we too quick to form an opinion of their actions or behavior as wrong without knowing all the facts? Felix was not going to even hear the case unless all the parties involved were present. Do we hold judgment until all the facts of the situation are present? At times we might rush to judgment simply based on hearsay rather than an actual conversation with the person we heard said or did something we consider other than a Christ-like life. The fact is unless we have a personal conversation with someone we cannot know anything about want they said or did for sure. Gossip is a conversation among others without the presence of the one being discussed. Gossip is therefore unable to know the truth. Even if we refuse to participate in this gossip, we still might have those internal thoughts of rushing to judgment which could lead us to believing ourselves better than that awful offender of biblical behavior. If we do have those thoughts than we have become just the same, an awful offender of biblical behavior. So let us remember not to rush to judgment, but if we believe someone has fallen into sin, or done something which they should not, then by the standard we all hold so dear, we should go to that person and converse personally about the situation, without judgment, but with love in our hearts. We may just find the truth and true koinania. 

Settled

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

SETTLED

Acts 23:23-30

23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix." 25 He wrote a letter as follows:

26 Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency, Governor Felix:

Greetings.

27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him.

NIV

The Commander is basically washing his hands of the situation, but at the same time assuring that Paul, a fellow Roman citizen is not harmed by the Jews. He is doing his job, that is for sure, but at the same time passing the buck so to speak. Rather than deal with the confrontation head on, he slips Paul away in the middle of the night without anyone knowing of it. Now perhaps he is doing the right thing by sending the situation up line, to his superior, the man who should be the judge of such matters. At first glance this portion of scripture seems to be just facts that happened with communication between the commander and the Governor, but there is this truth about confrontations. We will see that even Felix never gets to the end result, even after several years of judging the case. The confrontation at this point is not being settled. This could be our lesson. We cannot or should not allow any confrontation, any disagreements or arguments go unsettled. It does not do anyone any good to walk away from a dispute. Perhaps we might actually be in the same proximity as the one we have a dispute with, but we can steal away in the middle of the night, so to speak, emotionally or mentally, just shutting down, refusing to bring the confrontation to an end, solving matters once and for all. Had Felix made a judgment it would have been the law of the land and all would have had to adhere or be subject to arrest. But he left it unjudged and thus the dispute between the Jews and Paul was never settled. Of course the Jews were somewhat out of control going to the extreme of plotting murder. We may never get that uncontrolled but we can certainly become so unchristian-like in our thinking or emotional state over a dispute. This is why it is imperative we make every effort to live in peace with all men. If a dispute arises we need to confront it head on, and resolve it quickly so that we can continue to live as Christ intends us to. This is especially true within the realm of families as we have been instructed not to let the sun set on our anger, or if there is a dispute within a family it must be settled completely before going to bed. Fortunately there is forgiveness of sin, as we may well have been guilty of this situation all too often. But the lesson has been reminded and we should endeavor to work towards that desired life. Confront and settle it, and go on.