“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.
I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
If you go to Acts 14 and start reading forward, you will see that the Apostle Paul had been brought to Caesarea to stand trial before Governor Felix. He was accused of being a leader in the "Nazarene cult". And while Paul pled his case with Felix – and actually gained some ground – Felix ultimately deferred to others and chose to leave Paul in prison. Imagine how Paul must have felt. He knew where he stood… he was confident in his beliefs – hopeful and faithful that God would sustain him. And he also knew that deep down in their souls, Felix and others knew the truth, too. Still, they chose to allow Paul to be persecuted and imprisoned.
Haven’t you felt that way at one time or another? Do you know what it’s like to plead your case with others and get nowhere… to know that you both know the truth…but everything continues to go painfully wrong? My church’s bishop, Gary Mueller, posted this timely note today on Facebook. Hear his words and let them soak deeply into your soul…
“There’s probably something going on in your life right now so broken and painful you’re just not sure how things are going to work out. In fact, you’re not even sure if they are going to work out. All you know is that you would do almost anything to make things better. But you’ve already done everything you know how to do. And nothing’s worked – nothing at all.I cannot say it any better. We have the Biblical example of Paul’s faith, hope and perseverance. We have these words of encouragement… and we know deep in our hearts that they are true. God is at work right now… all will be well… we can count on Him to bring something new out of what is going on. And we know that the outcome will be perfect! Are you operating in God’s real hope today? Isn’t it time you did?
Don’t lose hope…because you can claim hope even in your moment of deepest despair. This isn’t pie-in-the-sky, God’s-going-to-miraculously-fix-it-and-everything’s-exactly-the-way-God-wants-it hope. It’s God’s real hope…in real life…for real people. It’s based on the reality that nothing will ever separate you from God’s love. That God is at work right now bringing something new out of what’s going on…and that all will be well.
So claim God’s hope right now. Hang onto it. And never let go.” ©2013 ~ Bishop Gary Mueller ~ http://www.arumc.org
©2013 Debbie Robus
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