Stepping in the Light

“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” Acts 28:23-24

When Paul finally arrived in Rome, he was allowed to live by himself with a Roman soldier guarding him. This arrangement was probably roughly equivalent to what we would call “house arrest” in our society. Soon after he was settled in his new quarters, Paul called for the leaders of the Jews and invited them to meet with him so that he could share the gospel with them. He spent a full day trying to persuade them that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for. He showed them many prophecies that Jesus had fulfilled and explained how numerous types of Christ could be found in the Law of Moses. They listened to what Paul had to say, but when the day was done, some believed that Jesus was the Christ and some did not.

Like Paul, we have a responsibility to share the truth of Christ with those around us. It is a great encouragement when people are willing to believe in Jesus and accept Him as Saviour, but some people simply choose not to believe. Paul did not let this fact stop him. He spent the rest of his life sharing the gospel with as many people as possible.

“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.” Psalm 44:1-3

The psalmist is crying out to God for help. In verses 23-26, as he closes his prayer, he says, “Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.” As the psalmist begins this prayer, he reminds God of the great works that He did for His people in years gone by. He mentions how God delivered them in battle, how He drove the heathen out of the Promised Land before them, and how He planted them firmly in the land that He gave them. We could summarize his prayer by saying, “Dear God, we have heard how you did great things in the past. Could you please do the same kind of great works for us now?” Have you ever come to the place where you feel like all of the great things that have happened are in the past and are not available to you? God doesn’t play favorites. He still wants to do great things for us, but He wants us to be willing to trust Him.

“Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Psalm 40:5

Because we cannot see God, we must exercise faith in our perception of His actions and attributes. Some people think that God is distant and disconnected from mankind, aloof to his troubles and trials. They believe that God has the ability to do miracles, but He does not because our daily lives do not concern Him. This kind of mentality does little to cultivate a thankful spirit and fails to capture the essence of God that we see revealed in the pages of Scripture. David certainly had a much more personal and connected view of God. David believed that God is constantly engaged in an endless stream of mighty works on the behalf of His people and that He is concerned with the smallest details of our daily lives. He said that God’s wonderful works and His thoughts toward us cannot be numbered. If you were to begin to make a list of the good things that God had done in your life recently, how long would it take you to think of one? How many could you list in one minute? How much of God the Father’s attention do you think is devoted toward you? Do you think He is watching you? Do you think that He is waiting to reward you for the good things that you do? Do you think that He is listening to your prayers? David encouraged us to realize that we have a God Who is thinking about us and constantly working for our good.

“And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.” Acts 26:31:32

Paul had a tremendous burden for the Jewish people. In his missionary journeys, he always went to the synagogue first when he arrived in a new city so that he could preach the gospel to the Jews first. It troubled Paul that so many of the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and he wanted to do whatever he could to change that. Because of this great burden, Paul had determined to go back to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost so that he could witness for Christ while many Jews from around the world were gathered there. Paul continued toward his chosen destination in spite of warnings from other believers and the calling that he had received from the Lord to go to the Gentiles (Acts 22:17-21). The Lord said to Paul, “As thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome,” (Acts 23:11). God was directing Paul’s path. When Agrippa heard Paul’s case, he determined that Paul could have been set free, and he would have been, except for the fact that he had already appealed to Caesar. Paul’s unusual circumstance shows us that sometimes what we would assume to be the most desirable outcome in a given situation is actually not desirable at all. God is able to use adverse circumstances and even our own mistakes to guide us toward His purpose.

“Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” Psalm 36:5-7

Nothing seems quite as helpless and defenseless as a baby bird. The baby bird cannot fly, it cannot leave the nest, it cannot feed itself, and it cannot protect itself. It is completely dependent upon the mother for shelter, protection, and sustenance. The psalmist uses this bond between the helpless baby bird and its mother to picture our relationship with God. He not only offers us protection; He meets our needs, He provides for us, He shelters us, He guides us, He teaches us, He corrects us, and uses us for His glory. As a baby bird grows, he eventually begins to flap his wings and wants to fly on his own. David, who wrote this psalm, was a king, but in the title above the psalm identifies himself as the servant of the Lord. In spite of his exalted rank, David wasn’t trying to exert his independence, but rather to increase his dependence upon God. The stronger we become and the more responsibility we have, the more we need to depend on the Lord. We need His guidance, protection, and care. The difference is in our mindset. How do you see yourself? Are you able to take care of yourself without outside help, or are you depending upon the Lord? We need to learn to trust in the shadow of His wings.

“And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Acts 24:24-25 

Paul had been taken from Jerusalem to Caesarea to stand before Felix. A few days after hearing Paul’s initial defense, Felix called for Paul and talked with him about faith in Christ. As Felix listened to Paul, he fell under great conviction. Trembling, he sent Paul away saying, “When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” As far as we know, that day never came. Felix passed up his best opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as Saviour. The Bible doesn’t say exactly why Felix put it off, but it was the worst decision of his life. II Corinthians 6:2 says, “Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation.” The only time that we know for certain that we have is now. We are only one heartbeat away from eternity, so the decision to receive Christ must not be delayed. Felix was like many other people, in that he thought he had plenty of time. He thought there would be another, better day. If you have never trusted Christ, please accept Him today! If you have a friend or family member who is unsaved, plead with them to come to Christ. We must learn a lesson from the life of Felix and learn to properly distinguish between what is convenient and what is necessary.

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7

It is easy to think that the people in the Bible were not plagued with weaknesses and flaws like we are. They seem larger than life to us when we consider the great feats they accomplished and the miraculous things that God did in their lives. But even David, who was chosen and anointed by God as the king of Israel, had to deal with sin. As New Testament Christians who are the beneficiaries of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on Calvary, we can begin to let the tremendous burden of sin that we felt before salvation fade in our memories. We cling to God’s promise that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us and cleanse us (I John 1:9). We have a tendency to either take God’s forgiveness for granted or shamelessly take advantage of its availability. David did not take forgiveness for granted. He viewed it as a singular blessing from God. How long has it been since you thanked God for His forgiveness?

“Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:1-2

How can we give glory to the Lord? He alone possesses glory; we do not. We can give God glory by recognizing His glory and putting that realization into words. We can speak of His glory, write of His glory, and sing of His glory. When God becomes the object of our praise, we draw attention to His glory. God wants us to recognize His glory on a personal level. This will affect the time that we spend in prayer. We will tell Him from our hearts how great He is. God also wants us to proclaim His glory to others. If they are believers, they will be encouraged to join in praising the Lord. If they are unbelievers, they will be confronted with the truth of His greatness and the reality of their need of God in their own lives. Giving glory to God is part of the act of worshipping Him.

This psalm also teaches us that we are to worship the Lord “in the beauty of holiness.” Holiness is one of the attributes of God. God describes Himself as being holy, and He expects us to be holy as well. Holiness is a compelling characteristic. We are drawn to holiness, therefore we can say it is beautiful. We are to worship God for His holiness, to revel in the beauty of His holiness. We are to strive to be holy as He has commanded us. Even if we think that we are inadequate to give God the praise that He deserves, our worship is a beautiful thing to Him.

“I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.” Acts 22:3

Paul had travelled to Jerusalem because he wanted to try to reach as many Jewish people with the Gospel as he possibly could. A group of Jews who had also journeyed from the areas where Paul had been preaching and starting churches began to accuse Paul of defiling the temple and breaking the Mosaic Law. They dragged Paul out of the temple and were about to kill him when the Roman soldiers came rescued Paul from their midst. He was about to be taken inside the castle when he asked to be permitted to speak to the people. As he addressed them, he began to give his testimony. He described himself as a person who had been very zealous toward God, and he ascribed that same attribute to the people who were listening to him speak. Their motivation was that they wanted to do what was pleasing to God. Could that be said of us today? Are we zealous toward God? It seems that there is an attitude that is prevalent among Christians that takes advantage of the grace of God while fully expecting Him to be zealous toward us. Few Christians today are really concerned about what God thinks of them. We seem to be most interested in ourselves. If the Apostle Paul were here today, how would he describe you? Are you zealous toward God or focused on self?

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

David opens what is probably the most familiar of all of the psalms with a declaration of faith in God; “I shall not want.” The word want here means lack. In other words, David is saying, “Because the Lord is my shepherd, I will never be lacking,” or, “I will never be in want.” David is not saying that he will never have a desire for anything that he does not have; he is saying that he has confidence that God will always provide the things that he needs. David was not focusing on the greatness of the stockpile of things that God had given him, but rather on the endless nature of God’s supply. David was saying, “I will not lack because God is my shepherd, He is the one Who takes care of me, and His store of blessings will never run out.”

This attitude is one that every child of God should display. Once we are able to believe that God will meet our needs, we can begin to let go of the long list of things that we desire to have. God wants us to be content with what He gives us and confident that He will take care of us. This kind of thinking strengthens the connection that we feel to God in our daily lives, and that is something that is very important to our Heavenly Father. The Ten Commandments forbid us from coveting (wanting/desiring) the things that other people have. God wants us to view the things that we have as being given to us directly from His hand. Can you say that He is your Shepherd? Do you feel that His power and love are so great that He can and will supply all of your needs?