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Acts 23:11, NIV
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”Acts 23:11 NIV The Lord was with Paul when He experienced persecution and interrogation. People were in an uproar because of the message that he shared. They were triggered, and they tried to accuse Him of things that weren’t true. But even though Paul was questioned about His faith, He still testified about the gospel. He stayed faithful to God. And all throughout His suffering, Jesus never leaves him. He gave Paul the strength that He needed. He provided him with enough grace. He…
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What’s with God that He still loved us even if we already abused His goodness?
God remained faithful despite our immature response to His love. He continues to pour out His blessings even though we choose to complain over the things He didn’t give to us. He fulfilled His promises even if we were so impatient. He was so steadfast even if we fail to appreciate the things that He is doing behind the scenes. God remained good. He never changes. What’s with Him that He never gave up on us despite our bad response to His grace? Why is it that He never gets tired of loving us? We somehow abused His kindness by the way we handled His resources. We waste His blessings…
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Acts 23:1, NIV
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brother, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” Acts 23:1, NIV Paul faced the Sanhedrin because people persecuted his faith. He tried to explain his story to them, but they won’t accept Paul’s message. So he was brought to the high priests for an interrogation. And even though people are trying to accuse Him, Paul remained faithful to God. In fact, He shared with them that he had fulfilled his duty to God in all good conscience. He didn’t have any guilt or hidden selfish motives. Paul sincerely served and loved Jesus. He continued…
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Acts 22:14, NIV
“Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. Acts 22:14, NIV God chose Paul to know His will. Jesus selected Him among many people. And this is not because of the things that Paul did to God. In fact, he is one of those who persecuted Him, but despite His cruel acts, Jesus appointed Him to spread the gospel. You never really know whom God will use for the expansion of His Kingdom. He can choose anyone regardless of their past and sins. He is powerful enough to influence someone…
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May you have the Courage to Choose what Matters most in the End
This world will present to you so many aspects that you need to prioritize, and the challenge is, how will you be able to choose the right priorities? Your decision-making abilities will be tested along the way. You will encounter situations that will make you realize the things that you value in life. And when you are in the middle of the storm, God will slowly open your eyes to the things that you treated as important, but in reality, it will lead you to destruction. That’s why it takes a courageous heart to accept the truth that we sometimes choose the wrong priorities. It takes humility to acknowledge God’s…
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It takes a Humble Heart to Ask for Help
Sometimes, we are so used to doing things on our own that we no longer consider other people’s opinions. Because we don’t want others to think bad about us, we tend to keep everything inside and try to solve our problems alone. We figure things out according to our own understanding, and we quit hoping that there are still genuine hearts who are willing to lend some help and support to us. Because we continuously received so many rejections in the past, we stopped depending on other people’s life. This is the reason why we can’t easily ask for help. We think that we no longer need others. It’s our…
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When you Choose Love, You will Willingly Offer Sacrifices
Love can lead you to do things that you never did before. It will somehow limit your choices because it will depend on the consequences that the people you love will receive. With love, you will learn to make painful sacrifices that will eventually change your life. You will be able to offer your life for the sake of those people who are relying on you. And this is what Jesus did on the cross. He chose to love. God commanded Him to go down on earth so that He could save us. He was thinking of the eternal consequence that we will receive if He won’t sacrifice Himself. Love…
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Acts 20:35, NIV
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35, NIV The apostle Paul chose to work and supply his own needs while he was serving in a ministry. He stopped relying on people’s money. He showed them that it is more blessed to give than to receive. May this verse also remind us that we are not just blessed by what God gave us, but we feel more satisfied and fulfilled the moment we learn to release the blessings that…
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Acts 20:28, NIV
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with His own blood. Acts 20:28, NIV This is what Paul said to the Ephesians leaders as he leaves them and go to another place to preach the gospel. He carefully reminded them to keep watch over themselves. He knows that things won’t be easy. Following Jesus will require sacrifices that will test and help your faith grow. That’s why, He is telling them to take good care of the flock that the Holy Spirit entrusted to them. Let this also be a…
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Acts 19:11, NIV
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Acts 19:11, NIV Paul didn’t physically see Jesus. He experienced a supernatural encounter with Him, but unlike Peter, Paul wasn’t able to physically observe Jesus while He was here on earth. But even if that’s the case, God did extraordinary miracles through Him. Imagine, even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Him can already cure illnesses and cast away evil spirits. The Holy Spirit moved in His life. God was with Him, and He was working through His…
