Saturday August 22, 2020
Today’s Reading: Acts 14:8-15
“Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.”
Acts 14:15
Meditation: We as believers are called to speak the Truth of the Gospel. While works testify to the Power and Presence of God in our midst, the sharing the Truth of the Gospel is what allows people to choose salvation in Christ. When Paul is preaching the Word of God, he sees a man who is lame from birth, and discerns that this man has faith to be healed. So Paul heals him by God’s Power. Witnesses of this miracle, however, see God’s work and misunderstand its meaning. Because they have only seen, and do not understand Paul’s preaching, they rationalize based on their own beliefs that Paul and Peter are Greek gods. What has been done in the Name of Jesus is misunderstood by witnesses, causing the people to wrongly worship Paul and Peter instead of the One True God. At this point, only an explanation of the Gospel Truth is able to explain that God is the One Who has performed this miracle.
The works of faith and living testimonies of Christ’s believers are an important part of showing God’s movement through His people. However, works of faith and lives of faith can only tell so much about God in and of themselves. Unless the Gospel Message is spoken alongside these visual testimonies, there is no way for people to connect the True and Living God to the works and the lives that garner their attention. God Himself, who has created the whole universe to point to His Glory, has made the Way to salvation through His Holy Word, which proclaims the work of His Son Jesus Christ.
What do people see when they witness you living as a Christ-like example? Praise God when the way you live sets the stage for their openness to the Gospel. Let that not be the only glimpse of Christ they get from you. Be encouraged to share the Gospel Message of Jesus, that the lives others would be changed by the Truth of God’s Word too. For the things we do cannot save people. But telling about what God has done through Jesus brings people the opportunity for eternal salvation.
Prayer: Lord, only Your work through Your Son Jesus saves. Thank You for granting understanding of it by Your Holy Word. I pray that my life would not only be an example of Your great love, but that my words would also profess Your love for all people through Your Gospel Message. Please, Lord, use me to not only show people Your love, but also tell about Your Truth. In Jesus’ Precious Name I pray, AMEN.
Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Acts 14; Joshua 22; Job 31
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