Day 252: God-fearing and SeekingActs 17:4
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
Thoughts for Today:It is always interesting to me how Paul begins with the Jews but only some of them "were persuaded," while there always seem to be a large number of others. Previously Paul had gone "into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead." Despite all of his efforts, only some of the Jews were convinced. I think the reason is in the definition of the word 'persuaded' which means, "to make somebody believe something, especially by giving good reasons for doing so." I don't know about you, but I didn't meet the Lord through logic and reasoning.
Before I became a believer, I met twice a week for breakfast with Jeff Walling, the pastor of a church I had been attending. I believed in God and wanted to know more, but I had a lot of doubts about Christianity. Before each of our meetings I would prepare exhaustingly detailed questions about the validity of the Bible and authenticity of Jesus Christ. Jeff dutifully answered all of my questions until one morning when he gently placed his hand covering my notepad and said, "No amount of logic, reasoning, or information will make you believe. If you truly want to know God you are going to have to step out to meet His Son in faith."
At that point I knew I wasn't going to be able to be "persuaded." The only way I would know the truth was to first believe.
Jeff gave me two verses that I remember to this day, Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." And John 6:35, "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." I knew at that moment the hunger and thirst I felt could only be satisfied by Jesus.
In our passage today, it isn't surprising to me that "a large number of God-fearing Greeks" came to know the Lord after Paul had spoken. Why? Because the Jews felt they already knew God; the Greeks on the other hand had the right perspective in their relationship to God and that was fear or rather awe; they were still earnestly seeking God; and He rewarded them (just like me) with Jesus.
Questions to Ponder:Do you still seek God? What kind of a relationship do you have with the Lord? Has it become stale and stagnant or is it constantly renewed and vibrant? The Lord tells us to come to Him and to seek Him -- these are not one time events. It is something we need to do every hour and every minute of each day. When was the last time you sought out the Lord? Will you take a moment right now and seek Him?
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
Thoughts for Today:It is always interesting to me how Paul begins with the Jews but only some of them "were persuaded," while there always seem to be a large number of others. Previously Paul had gone "into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead." Despite all of his efforts, only some of the Jews were convinced. I think the reason is in the definition of the word 'persuaded' which means, "to make somebody believe something, especially by giving good reasons for doing so." I don't know about you, but I didn't meet the Lord through logic and reasoning.
Before I became a believer, I met twice a week for breakfast with Jeff Walling, the pastor of a church I had been attending. I believed in God and wanted to know more, but I had a lot of doubts about Christianity. Before each of our meetings I would prepare exhaustingly detailed questions about the validity of the Bible and authenticity of Jesus Christ. Jeff dutifully answered all of my questions until one morning when he gently placed his hand covering my notepad and said, "No amount of logic, reasoning, or information will make you believe. If you truly want to know God you are going to have to step out to meet His Son in faith."
At that point I knew I wasn't going to be able to be "persuaded." The only way I would know the truth was to first believe.
Jeff gave me two verses that I remember to this day, Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." And John 6:35, "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." I knew at that moment the hunger and thirst I felt could only be satisfied by Jesus.
In our passage today, it isn't surprising to me that "a large number of God-fearing Greeks" came to know the Lord after Paul had spoken. Why? Because the Jews felt they already knew God; the Greeks on the other hand had the right perspective in their relationship to God and that was fear or rather awe; they were still earnestly seeking God; and He rewarded them (just like me) with Jesus.
Questions to Ponder:Do you still seek God? What kind of a relationship do you have with the Lord? Has it become stale and stagnant or is it constantly renewed and vibrant? The Lord tells us to come to Him and to seek Him -- these are not one time events. It is something we need to do every hour and every minute of each day. When was the last time you sought out the Lord? Will you take a moment right now and seek Him?
RSS Feed
