{"id":1830,"date":"2019-09-22T07:59:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-22T15:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1830"},"modified":"2019-09-22T07:59:57","modified_gmt":"2019-09-22T15:59:57","slug":"devotion-acts-1625-30-faithful-through-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1830","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 16:25-30 Faithful Through It All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 16:25-30\u00a0<\/b>\u2013<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>About midnight\u00a0Paul and Silas\u00a0were praying and singing hymns\u00a0to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.\u00a026\u00a0Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.\u00a0At once all the prison doors flew open,\u00a0and everyone\u2019s chains came loose.\u00a027\u00a0The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.\u00a028\u00a0But Paul shouted, \u201cDon\u2019t harm yourself! We are all here!\u201d\u00a0 29\u00a0The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.\u00a030\u00a0He then brought them out and asked, \u201cSirs, what must I do to be saved?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout midnight\u00a0Paul and Silas\u00a0were praying and singing hymns\u00a0to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Lied about.\u00a0 Beaten with rods. \u00a0Flogged to slice open their skin.\u00a0 Imprisoned into filthy conditions with untreated wounds.\u00a0 Bruised and bloody.\u00a0 Paul and Silas did not dwell on themselves as being the world\u2019s victims, but on themselves being those who are victors through the blood of Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus died and gave them an eternal victory that none in the world, or in the spiritual realm could take away (Romans 8:37-39<\/b>).\u00a0 They may have been beaten and imprisoned with open bleeding wounds in a filthy cell, but they were not defeated.\u00a0 They did not sing the blues but sang praises to God.\u00a0 They laughed, they cried tears of joy, for their Savior and Lord had never left them.\u00a0 They did not doubt.\u00a0 They did not curse God that He had allowed them to be wronged.\u00a0\u00a0 They praised Him that He would consider them worthy of continuing His legacy of having been rejected, tortured and killed by the world.\u00a0 Jesus died to save the world (John 3:17<\/b>), including the ones who tortured and killed Him (Romans 5:8<\/b>).\u00a0 The Holy Spirit, who ministered to Jesus and who raised Him from the dead, was also with them.\u00a0 They were being allowed to share in, to continue the ministry of Jesus to the world.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t be happier!\u00a0 How dare anyone call themselves lovers of Jesus, His disciples, and then doubt Him or even yell at Him in anger because we don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 None of us fully understand.\u00a0 How dare any pastors or teachers say it is okay to do so!\u00a0 It is not okay to doubt and scream angrily at Jesus because we don\u2019t understand, or refuse to understand.\u00a0 Doing that is natural, but natural is not Godly.\u00a0 Doubting and being angry at God is a sin, whatever the reason.\u00a0 Can the sin be forgiven?\u00a0 Yes, of course, but it is still a sin.\u00a0 Those who tortured and killed Him and demanded His death yelled at Him.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not be counted with them, as those who do such a thing.\u00a0 All the understanding we ever need is found in the Gospel.\u00a0 The Gospel has the answer for every hurt and every injustice.\u00a0 He whom we call Savior and Lord suffered more.\u00a0 He being innocent did it for us who are guilty.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not doubt or be angry at God, but know beyond all doubt that He is always good to us and He always loves us.\u00a0 Let that be our guide and not doubt and anger.\u00a0 God is good and He loves us!<\/p>\n

\u201cSuddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.\u00a0At once all the prison doors flew open,\u00a0and everyone\u2019s chains came loose.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Imagine the scene.\u00a0 It is late and even the guard was sleeping.\u00a0 But not Paul and Silas, they could still be heard praying and praising God in song.\u00a0 Not in loud voices meant to keep all the other prisoners awake, but in joyful but considerate voices.\u00a0 They did not have inconsideration as they praised God, which would have been contrary to the Holy Spirit who lifted their souls.\u00a0 They just had to praise God.\u00a0 They could not be silenced by the injustice they had just gone through.\u00a0 They had a heavenly perspective in their minds and hearts and nothing in this world could change that.\u00a0 Oh praise God!\u00a0 How we long to live out our faith, how we long to live out our love and gratitude to Jesus, in such a way.\u00a0 Lord Jesus, please prepare my heart that whatever may come I will be found, in any circumstance, to be praising You.\u00a0 Certainly there are more hard times ahead, but always in those times, and through those times, and beyond those times, You are with me, loving me, protecting me, and continuing with me in every step on the journey home to be forever with the Father, You, and Your blessed Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0 When the earthquake happened and the prison doors flew open and the chains fell off them, they did not immediately flee their situation because though their bodies suffered their spirits soared in the freedom and beauty that they lived in through Jesus.\u00a0 What about those chains?\u00a0 Okay, it could have been that the chains were shaken off the wall during the \u201cviolent earthquake<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 But that would not cause the chains to fall off of them.\u00a0 But their chains that bound them fell to the ground.\u00a0 How wonderfully symbolic that as God had already freed them from the spiritual chains that bound them He also, through His own unlimited power, freed them from the physical chains that bound them.\u00a0 Nothing can bind of slow down the Christian who is ministering by and in the will of God.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 The sleeping jailer who considered his prisoners secured by chains and prison cell, woke up to find the doors to the cells open and he naturally assumed his prisoners had fled.\u00a0 That would mean shame and death to him.\u00a0 He thought instead of going through the shame, the beatings and the death sentence he would just end his life right there.\u00a0 Of course his prisoners had fled.\u00a0 Who wouldn\u2019t have?\u00a0 Why would they not?<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Paul shouted, \u201cDon\u2019t harm yourself! We are all here!\u201d\u00a0 29\u00a0The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Somehow, before the lights were called to turned on, there was enough light in jail for Paul to see the jailer about to kill himself.\u00a0 Paul, to save him, called out to him.\u00a0 This man, who was an employee of the government who had beaten and imprisoned them, Paul had compassion for and called out to save him.\u00a0 This should not surprise us, Paul was in the business of calling out to people to save them.\u00a0 Paul, in preaching the Gospel, every day was calling out to save the souls of people who were about to kill their own everlasting souls.\u00a0 He did that because of the love of God living within him.\u00a0 This jailer, or the men who beat and flogged him, were loved no less than any other Paul ministered to.\u00a0 Jesus died to save the souls of all people and Paul counted every shed drop of the blood of Jesus as precious.\u00a0 He lived to continue to fulfill the mission of Jesus.\u00a0 None, even the most hateful, the most despicable, were out of the eye of Jesus when He died for the sins of all.\u00a0 Yes, Paul loved his jailer and did what flowed from his heart, he called out to save him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.\u00a030\u00a0He then brought them out and asked, \u201cSirs, what must I do to be saved?\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 The amazed jailer called for the lights and ran to Paul and Silas and fell before them, trembling at what had just happened.\u00a0 He had heard of supernatural miracles that had been performed through these men.\u00a0 He had seen how they had suffered the indignities of the false accusations.\u00a0 He, like surely many who had been at the trial, saw through the lies of the accusers.\u00a0 He had seen and heard that these men had not become forlorn, they had not become angry and denounced God, they had not lost their joy and they had not lost their peace as they had sang praises to God.\u00a0 They had even thanked Jesus for being counted worthy to suffer in His name. Before the earthquake the jailer thought it a strange curiosity.\u00a0 After the earthquake, and after their obvious concern for his welfare, the jailer understand that these men truly were representatives of the one and only God.\u00a0 Realizing that, he wanted to know what must he do to be saved?\u00a0 They had shown their care for him, now he trusted them to tell him how to save his immortal soul.\u00a0 And this, Family, is why walk in faith every moment of our lives.\u00a0 This is why we, not being omniscient, unfailingly live in faith in the One who is Omniscient.<\/p>\n

The Gospel that saves us, the Gospel we live in, is the product of the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God for the saving of all who will come.\u00a0 Oh Family, what more do we need to be firmly convinced that God is always good and that He always loves us?\u00a0 Praise God and never doubt.\u00a0 We have more reason to have faith than to doubt.\u00a0 Praise God and do not doubt!\u00a0 Yes, always and in all circumstances, praise God!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 16:25-30\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u00a0About midnight\u00a0Paul and Silas\u00a0were praying and singing hymns\u00a0to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.\u00a026\u00a0Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.\u00a0At once all the prison doors flew open,\u00a0and everyone\u2019s chains came loose.\u00a027\u00a0The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,100,94,1874,17,10],"class_list":["post-1830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-john","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1830"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1831,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1830\/revisions\/1831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}