0
Rev. Jason Pankau
We begin this week with the fifth installment of a video devotional that we hope will encourage you to slow down and let Him guide you to the righteous life of abundance.
|
|
|
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5-6 (2:52) |
0
Rev. Jason K. Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard
Acts chapter 8, says that Saul agreed to and witnessed Stephen’s stoning. This began a great wave of persecution that scattered believers from Jerusalem. Saul traveled from house to house to find Christian men and women and throw them into prison.
From the perspective of a Christian living during the persecution of the early church, the future could have looked bleak. The Roman Empire had all the Earthly power and used it effectively to crush any and every threat. Praise God, that’s not where the story ended. The Bible tells us that scattered believers preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Then the Lord confronted Saul on the Damascus road and he was transformed into the Apostle Paul who went on to help lead the fast growing church. What an unlikely event! Who could ever have guessed that would happen?
Pondering this remarkable history gives us hope and makes us wonder: how might God use us during these dark days when news reports can make us feel our future is bleak?
To conquer an attitude of helplessness and hopelessness we need to stay close to the Lord, and to pray for and encourage one another like the members of the early church did. Together, we are a nation of priests with God-given power to transform the world. With the Holy Spirit comforting and counseling us, the body of Christ can transform every sector of society in every nation so that all glorify God. May it be so!
What part will you play in God’s plan for our future? Pray that He will guide your every step. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit. Be in the Word to renew your mind. Obey His commands to maximize God’s transforming power in your life. Reject the temptation to love money, power and fame. Instead, put on the full armor of God, be strong and courageous and go into the world to transform it with the power of God’s love.
Jason and Mike would like to thank Ben Valentine of Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT, for a devotional he led that provided the inspiration for this edition of Devotional Thoughts.
