The second half of the book of Acts chronicles the exploits of Paul and his companions as they travel throughout the Mediterranean region bringing the good news of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles.
One might think that a life so devoted to God would be “smooth sailing”, but Paul’s was far from that. He endured unjust accusation and public beatings, years of imprisonment, threats to his life, and shipwreck, among other things.
But, doesn’t God owe us His blessing when we do what He wants?
Actually, God does not owe us anything (see Luke 17:7-10 and Romans 11:35-36); and God does bless us – not by averting the difficulties, but rather through them. Paul writes in the book of Romans (5:3-5), “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
I found most encouraging and challenging Paul’s response to the various trials he faced.
· When stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison unjustly, Paul and Silas didn’t complain, but rather, they prayed and sang hymns to God.
· When God intervened with an earthquake, and the prison doors flew open, and the chains fell off, Paul did not run away, but implored the jailor to not kill himself. Paul answered his question about being saved and pointed the jailor to Jesus, the one who truly sets us free.
· When the learned philosophers of Athens thought Paul was speaking nonsense when referring to the resurrection of Jesus, he did not reply abusively or simply write them off. Instead, Paul used logic and ideas that they could relate to, and explained that God is One that we can know and with whom we can have relationship.
· When arrested and on trial before governors or a king, Paul didn’t just defend himself, but also explained how the earthly judge could be set free from God’s judgment.
· When facing a furious storm at sea and threatened with shipwreck, Paul prayed not just for himself, but for the lives of all aboard and encouraged them. And, God granted them all safety.
Why was Paul so devoted to God and so concerned about both the physical and eternal wellbeing of those he encountered? Just like us, Paul never met Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry but did encounter him on the road to Damascus. Through that encounter and through the Scriptures, Paul was convinced that Jesus is the Christ. It is Christ’s love that compelled Paul – and can compel us – to not live for ourselves, but for him who died for us and was raised again. (See 2Cor5:14-15) This doesn’t happen on our own strength, but only by the Holy Spirit working in our hearts, letting God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think.