Text: Acts 23:1-35.
The apostle Paul is being sent by God to the city of Rome (v.11). It will be a strategic move because from there believers will be properly trained by him, and they can go out to all the known world. Remember the story of Joseph in Egypt. God showed him in a dream that he would be a ruler, but he got there in a very undignified way: abused by his brothers, sold into slavery, and finally imprisoned. After many years he finally became the Prime Minister of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at that time.
This kind of strange path is what will happen to Paul. In a vision, Jesus told Paul that he (Paul) will go to Rome. Paul will also be abused, imprisoned, and face many dangers. But he will be a teacher of the Word in Rome. Following the same principle, it was in dying that Jesus gained life for His people. Do not judge God’s purpose in your life by the circumstances you see. Your life might be very unpleasant, but at some point, possibly even at the point of death,
you will understand it all.
Meditate on verse 11. How are you going to apply it to your life?
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, give me the courage to stand firm in the midst of distress and harassment. Amen.