I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at
Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. - Acts 21:13
Matthew Henry, the famous Bible scholar, was once accosted by thieves and robbed. In his
diary, he wrote: "Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before;
second, because they took my purse and not my life; third, because although they took my
all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."
For Matthew Henry, doing God's will was far more important than what had happened to him.
The apostle Paul also demonstrated this attitude as he was told about his future. Though
the prophet Agabus had foretold his imprisonment in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11), Paul was
undeterred. His desire was to do God's will and fulfill His purpose for his life, no
matter what might happen to him. Paul desired to obey the Lord for His name's sake.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds. Sometimes God's will involves walking through
"the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:4). At other times we may have to
choose the path of hardship because we wish to do what is right, rather than what is easy.
In all of life's difficulties, we can remember that obeying God's will "for the name
of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13) is far more important than what may happen to us.
-AL
We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know;
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing:
We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.
-Cherry
What we call adversity, God calls opportunity.