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.