Acts 8:1-8
New International
Version (NIV)
8 And Saul approved of
their killing him.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church
in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and
Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen
and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to
destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and
women and put them in prison.
4 Those who had been
scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a
city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard
Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he
said. 7 For with shrieks, impure
spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy
in that city.
My father-in-law
loved a saying that he heard from Dr. Schuller on the Hour of Power broadcast, “Tough times never last, tough people do”. I think that can go along with the scripture
today. These new Christians were tough,
because they had the Holy Spirit guiding their pathways. Yes, they fled the scene but they did not
stop proclaiming the Gospel. If they had
spread and hid, the church would have died.
Can you imagine
living that scene out? The fear that
could have caused them to stop, run, and hide.
The only part of that they did was run but the did not hide. They just ran to the next town and started
proclaiming the Gospel more.
Sometimes God
has to give us a little push.
Unfortunately it may be at the cost of a loss, in this case,
Stephen. However, it is up to us as to
how we will respond to it. I am not
always the best one to ask about responding well in difficult situations. I tend to blame myself rather than see that
God has other plans for me. Another
quote of Dr. Schuller, “What appears to
be the end of the road may simply be a bend in the road.”
As you seek Him
today, remember that His plans are the best plans and they are put into place
for a purpose. Keep going, become
stronger, and spread His love to those around you.
Seeking Him with
all my heart,
Sheila
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