{"id":2152,"date":"2020-04-16T10:25:05","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T18:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2152"},"modified":"2020-04-16T10:25:05","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T18:25:05","slug":"devotion-acts-2624-32-always-seize-the-moment-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2152","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 26:24-32 Always Seize The Moment Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 26:24-32<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>At this point Festus interrupted Paul\u2019s defense. \u201cYou are out of your mind,\u00a0Paul!\u201d he shouted. \u201cYour great learning\u00a0is driving you insane.\u201d\u00a0 25\u00a0\u201cI am not insane, most excellent\u00a0Festus,\u201d Paul replied. \u201cWhat I am saying is true and reasonable.\u00a026\u00a0The king is familiar with these things,\u00a0and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.\u00a027\u00a0King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.\u201d\u00a0 28\u00a0Then Agrippa said to Paul, \u201cDo you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?\u201d\u00a0 29\u00a0Paul replied, \u201cShort time or long\u2014I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>30\u00a0The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice\u00a0and those sitting with them.\u00a031\u00a0After they left the room, they began saying to one another, \u201cThis man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.\u201d\u00a0 32\u00a0Agrippa said to Festus, \u201cThis man could have been set free\u00a0if he had not appealed to Caesar.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>At this point Festus interrupted Paul\u2019s defense. \u201cYou are out of your mind,\u00a0Paul!\u201d he shouted. \u201cYour great learning\u00a0is driving you insane.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0What Festus said to Paul allows us to draw two conclusions.\u00a0\u00a0One is that what Luke has given to us is a summary of all that Paul had said in his speech.\u00a0\u00a0Also that what Paul had said was powerful and so convincing that even this non-believing Festus was overwhelmed.\u00a0\u00a0Oh to have been there and heard the whole speech!<\/p>\n

How do we draw the conclusion that what Paul said was powerful, logical and convincing?\u00a0\u00a0Festus did not accuse Paul of making wild statements but remarked about his great learning.\u00a0\u00a0Family and friends, what Paul stated was powerful and convincing and what he said startled Governor Festus.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201cI am not insane, most excellent\u00a0Festus,\u201d Paul replied. \u201cWhat I am saying is true and reasonable.\u00a026\u00a0The king is familiar with these things,\u00a0and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Paul\u2019s reply to Festus is respectful.\u00a0\u00a0His first response is that he was not insane.\u00a0\u00a0He then said that he had spoken the truth.\u00a0\u00a0Additionally he stated that he has been reasonable.\u00a0\u00a0If it had not been reasonable it would not have \u201cshook up\u201d Festus.\u00a0\u00a0Fetus\u2019 response was to the strong argument that he could not contest, but that had led him to the Truth of the Gospel.\u00a0\u00a0Festus mocked as men in fear do as a defense mechanism, or simply when they have no reasonable response.<\/p>\n

Festus likely did not fully grasp the message.\u00a0\u00a0But Paul knew who very likely did, that would be King Agrippa who was versed in the scriptures and may have claimed his Jewish heritage.\u00a0\u00a0Paul appealed to what the king had surely heard of before.\u00a0\u00a0The king was in contact with the Jewish leadership and had his \u201cear to the floor.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The king had heard of the followers of Jesus and it is very likely he knew what they believed by the complaining of the Jewish leaders.\u00a0\u00a0Since the king was familiar with scriptures, some say he studied them, that being so, he could conceivably have understood what Paul had elucidated.\u00a0\u00a0Paul said that the Gospel was publicly preached, publicly known, not being preached in a corner so only some would know.\u00a0\u00a0(Matthew 10:27<\/b>)<\/p>\n

\u201cKing Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0We who have ever presented the Gospel to anyone, or ever argued for a cause, know that we often know when the person, or persons, whom we are speaking to are understanding and receiving what we are speaking.\u00a0\u00a0Paul knew that he had touched \u201ca nerve\u201d with the king.\u00a0\u00a0So he said to king \u201cRemember what you believe, what you have professed to believe.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Paul was of course referring to scripture and what the prophets had written about.\u00a0\u00a0The fulfillment of what the prophets had written was Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0(Matthew 5:17<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0So recalling what the king knew of scripture Paul had, in his speech laid it all out.\u00a0\u00a0It is offered that Paul likely tailored what he said to the king.\u00a0\u00a0So Paul is telling the king that he heard the argument for Jesus as Messiah that Paul had laid out.\u00a0\u00a0Surely he had seen how they were fulfilled in Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0In fact Paul went so far as to say that not only did he think that the king understood, but that he knew the king did.\u00a0\u00a0In the natural we can often tell when people being spoke to agree, but when the whispering of the Holy Spirit comes into play, well then, things can be known with certainty.<\/p>\n

We will see in the succeeding verses that though the king had understood and likely was right on the verge of relinquishing his defenses and accepting the Truth into his life, he pulled back.\u00a0\u00a0This story always reminds me of an elder person whom I deeply loved.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He was a self-confessed non-believer.\u00a0\u00a0However, he would allow me to spend time with him to tell him the Gospel message.\u00a0\u00a0I would ask him if he would like to ask Jesus to be his personal Savior and Lord.\u00a0\u00a0There were times that he truly started to say yes, but he then drew back.\u00a0\u00a0That elder is now deceased and most would think that he left this world without Jesus as his Savior.\u00a0\u00a0However, I don\u2019t know that to be true.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This elder, when passing on, had time to himself to consider his mortality and the future.\u00a0\u00a0No one knows what he may have decided in his last moments.\u00a0\u00a0I like to believe that he, in his solitary final moments, came to the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0I like to hope that I will, when I get there, see him in heaven.\u00a0\u00a0I truly hope so, I loved him very deeply.<\/p>\n

So for all of us, only God knows what the Holy Spirit will give to us to say that will impact and make the difference to the people that we know and that we love.\u00a0\u00a0What will the Lord give us to say that some, or someone, will remember and their life will be impacted?\u00a0\u00a0Who could those impacted be?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Our child, or grandchild, niece or nephew, or friend?\u00a0\u00a0Family, let us share the Word at every opportunity.\u00a0\u00a0Let us pray for those opportunities.\u00a0\u00a0Eternity lays in the balance.\u00a0\u00a0Let us praise God for the opportunity to do so.\u00a0\u00a0Yes, always let us praise God!\u00a0\u00a0Amen!<\/p>\n

P<\/b><\/span>salm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/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.<\/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.<\/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 26:24-32\u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0At this point Festus interrupted Paul\u2019s defense. \u201cYou are out of your mind,\u00a0Paul!\u201d he shouted. \u201cYour great learning\u00a0is driving you insane.\u201d\u00a0 25\u00a0\u201cI am not insane, most excellent\u00a0Festus,\u201d Paul replied. \u201cWhat I am saying is true and reasonable.\u00a026\u00a0The king is familiar with these things,\u00a0and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none…<\/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":[82,101,94,1874,17],"class_list":["post-2152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2152","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=2152"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2153,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2152\/revisions\/2153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}