Living in the Continue

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

LIVING IN THE CONTINUE

Acts 13:42-43

42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

NIV

Hungry people want more to eat. Even after Paul Barnabas spoke plainly about God’s plan for salvation, the people wanted to hear more about Jesus. These were Jews and devout converts to Judaism.  These were people who had faith in Yahweh, however, they had not heard about how Jesus was God incarnate who came to save his people from their sins. From what Luke records for us here, it appears all those who followed after Paul and Barnabas had accepted their words and entered into the grace of God, for Paul urged them to continue in the grace of God. Once again, it really makes sense to see this Greek word translated as grace as the divine influence upon a heart and how it reflects in that life. It is very good news that through faith in Jesus Christ we have been declared holy and blameless and have been given eternal life. However, there is the continue that we must live. Certainly, the Spirit's influence brings people to see their need to repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Once that happens then the Spirit continues to lead people into all truth. This is the 'continue' in the divine influence of God in our lives, and in doing that God’s influence upon us should be reflected in how we live. What does a life that reflects the influence of God looks like? Is it about the do’s and the Don’ts? Doubtful those are how God influences us. Considering God is the definition of love, it would seem right that those two commands that Jesus gave about loving the Lord God who all our being and loving our neighbor as ourselves would be showing or reflecting God’s influence upon us. This type of living far exceeds that of living by the rules and regulations of denominational life, not that living a godly life isn’t a good thing, for there are many things that we are told to rid ourselves of, and many attitudes and behaviors we are urged to adopt, but those changes within us are a result of the Spirit leading us into all truth. So we live in the continue.