Focus On The Mission That God Planted In Your Heart
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?” Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
Acts 21: 37-39, NIV
Paul went through persecution, and a commander of the Roman troops tried to stop the crowd from hurting him. At that time, people wanted to kill him because they believed that he was teaching something that was against their law. When the commander heard the riot, the soldiers led Paul into the barracks, and that’s when Paul introduced himself.
He pleaded to speak to the people. After this, Paul then shared his testimony and the gospel.
Even though he was in the middle of a very chaotic and painful situation, he was still so eager to share Jesus with those who persecuted him.
In this verse, it is evident that Paul didn’t only focus on himself. If he had, he would probably feel disappointed, and perhaps he would look at his own weaknesses and the bad things that happened around him. But then, his response was the exact opposite.
He chose to proclaim the good news. He focused on the mission that God planted in his heart. He believed in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he relied on His grace.
May we also learn to do the same thing. Every time experience troubles and unexpected situations in life, may we choose to focus on the purpose that God planted in our hearts. May we learn to trust and keep our faith in him
Prayer: Father God, thank you so much for this reminder. I pray for a humble heart that’s always willing to abide by your instructions. Please lead me to your love, Lord, so that I may choose to glorify your name above all else. Give me faith like Paul so that I may not focus on the difficult situation that I face, but instead, I will always choose to do your will. This I ask and pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.
