{"id":2000,"date":"2020-01-06T11:33:58","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T19:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2000"},"modified":"2020-01-06T11:33:58","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T19:33:58","slug":"devotion-acts-217-16-jesus-more-than-all-else-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2000","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 21:7-16 Jesus More Than All Else Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 21:7-16\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0We continued our voyage from Tyre\u00a0and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters\u00a0and stayed with them for a day.\u00a0<\/i>8\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea\u00a0and stayed at the house of Philip\u00a0the evangelist,\u00a0one of the Seven.\u00a0<\/i>9\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>10\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus\u00a0came down from Judea.\u00a0<\/i>11\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>Coming over to us, he took Paul\u2019s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, \u201cThe Holy Spirit says,\u00a0\u2018In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind\u00a0the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.\u2019\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>12\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/i>13\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>Then Paul answered, \u201cWhy are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die\u00a0in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>14\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up\u00a0and said, \u201cThe Lord\u2019s will be done.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>15\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/i>16\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>Some of the disciples from Caesarea\u00a0accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus\u00a0and one of the early disciples.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus\u00a0came down from Judea.\u00a0<\/i>11\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>Coming over to us, he took Paul\u2019s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, \u201cThe Holy Spirit says,\u00a0\u2018In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind\u00a0the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.\u201d<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0We can remember Agabus who was identified as a prophet in\u00a0Acts 11:27-28<\/b>.\u00a0 He had, through the Holy Spirit, prophesied that a severe famine was coming, and it came true during the reign of Claudius.\u00a0 Now he is prophesying to confirm what others with the gift of prophecy have already told Paul, that big trouble awaits him in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s note that Agabus did not tell him not to go Jerusalem.\u00a0 He did not because that would be contrary to the prophecy the Holy Spirit had just given.\u00a0 He said that Paul would be in Israel and bound by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles.\u00a0 If Paul was to never go there then that is what he would have been told.\u00a0 But Agabus issued a word from God and Agabus knew that what God said is truth and will happen.\u00a0 Why would Agabus ask Paul to go against the will of God?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Luke, wrote \u201cwe.\u201d\u00a0 He, along with the rest of the disciples, after hearing the proclamation from Agabus became very distraught.\u00a0 In fear of what would happen to him they begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem.\u00a0 It would seem that having Agabus prophesy what they had already heard caused a fear in them for their friend.\u00a0 Here was a well-known and proven prophet saying what they had already heard, but perhaps were hoping would not happen.\u00a0 Maybe God would relent?\u00a0 But when Agabus prophesied even Luke joined in enjoining Paul not to go.\u00a0 Obviously those pleading with Paul had many tears at the thought of the danger, and perhaps death, that awaited Paul.\u00a0 Yet Agabus did not say that Paul would die in Jerusalem, he said the Paul would be bound and given over to the Gentiles and that is exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Paul answered, \u201cWhy are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die\u00a0in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.\u201d<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 To see his brothers and sisters crying for him and out of genuine love (misguided as their reaction was) trying to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem moved him.\u00a0 Paul was not tempted to not go, he firmly asserts to them that he is ready to bound and even to die for the name of Lord Jesus if that be the will of God.\u00a0 Paul was fully committed to Jesus.\u00a0 Paul had taught that our lives are not our own but belong to Jesus (1 Corinthians 6;19-20<\/b>) and so Paul had fully yielded to whom he called Lord.\u00a0 He was ready to suffer all, even death, but the distress of those who loved him was breaking his heart.\u00a0 He knew that they did not fully understand.\u00a0 Even Jesus had to deal with this with the original apostles not understanding and trying to dissuade him from was to happen to him in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21-23<\/b>).\u00a0 In fact we see great commonality, in a lesser degree, between what was Paul was going through and what Jesus went through.\u00a0 Not that Paul would die for sins, only Jesus could and did that.\u00a0 But similar in what they suffered for the Gospel, how they knew what was coming, and how those who loved them pleaded with them to avoid what was coming.\u00a0 Yet, if Jesus, or Paul, had not yielded and were called to do, they would not be the men that they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he would not be dissuaded, we gave up\u00a0and said, \u201cThe Lord\u2019s will be done.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 It is sometimes said that those who would dissuade Paul realized that they could not change his mind and so realized it was the Lord\u2019s will and let it be done.\u00a0 Perhaps, but it seems a fine distinction in trying to go against the will of God and then submitting to it due to revelation and opposing the will of God and submitting because it was a useless battle.\u00a0 The will of God cannot be defeated.\u00a0 Perhaps these two thoughts are not opposing but inclusive to each other. In the end, they did say \u201cLet the Lord\u2019s will be done<\/i>\u201d and that it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/i>16\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/b>Some of the disciples from Caesarea\u00a0accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus\u00a0and one of the early disciples.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 So Paul\u2019s yielded entourage accompanied to Jerusalem.\u00a0\u00a0 They stayed with Mnason, one of the early disciples of The Way.<\/p>\n

Family, let us be fully persuaded within ourselves to not only yield to the will of God, but to embrace it.\u00a0 Let us not only willingly walk the easy path, but the rough path that hurts.\u00a0 Let us not only willingly submit, but to run to it because we so know who God is, His intrinsic qualities like love and goodness, that we absolutely and without doubt trust Him.\u00a0 We not only yield but run to do the easy and the hard because we know He who is only good and loves us so bids it and that is enough for us walk into a flood or fire with confidence that God is with us.\u00a0 And that is enough.\u00a0\u00a0Isaiah 43:2<\/b>\u00a0\u201cWhen you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Praise God!\u00a0 Oh let us walk with confidence, not in ourselves, but in God who loves us!\u00a0 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 21:7-16\u00a0–\u00a0We continued our voyage from Tyre\u00a0and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters\u00a0and stayed with them for a day.\u00a08\u00a0Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea\u00a0and stayed at the house of Philip\u00a0the evangelist,\u00a0one of the Seven.\u00a09\u00a0He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.\u00a0\u00a010\u00a0After we had been there a number of days, a prophet…<\/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":[82,129,103,101,2528,1874,17],"class_list":["post-2000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-corinthians","tag-isaiah","tag-matthew","tag-mcah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000","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=2000"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2001,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000\/revisions\/2001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}