Daily Devotional for Friday, March 10th

The Authorities Fear

“And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city,” Acts 16:38, 39.

Jim Elliot was one of the martyred missionaries in 1956. He was a passionate Christian who journaled many of his thoughts and prayers. One such entry addressed his concern about impact. He wrote, “Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.” His impact continues on even though he died over sixty years ago at the age of twenty-nine.—Shadow of the Almighty, Elisabeth Elliot.
God had led Paul through Derbe and Lystra on his journeys to preach the gospel. Continuing to follow God, Paul landed in Philippi where the gospel changed many lives. One such life was that of a demon possessed girl who was being used as a slave by “soothsaying.” When she was freed from demon possession and was no longer a profit to her wicked slave masters, these crooked businessmen were enraged at Paul and Silas. Her masters stirred up a criminal charge against Paul and Silas so that they were arrested.
Some may say that this arrest was a defeat for the preachers and for the gospel. But Paul and Silas faithfully preached in jail and many more were saved. God led Paul and Silas to preach in Philippi knowing they would be imprisoned in a jailhouse where there was a jailer in need of the gospel.

REFLECTION: Sometimes following the Lord will lead to prison. But preach anyway.

Steven Ridings