20 Now Herod was angry with the people of
Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded
Blastus, the king's chamberlain,[a] they asked
for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On
an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne,
and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were
shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately
an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory,
and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But the word of God increased and
multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from[b] Jerusalem
when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other
name was Mark.
(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+12%3A20-25&version=ESV)
God allowed
Herod to persecute Christians, killing James the brother of John and attempting
to kill Peter. Herod was an evil man who
did not want to have anything to do with Jesus Christ or those that followed
Him. Yet, he was a king and he was used
by God. Because of the persecution of
the Christians through the killing of James and attempt at the life of Peter,
the church pulled together and prayed.
Because of their faithfulness the church grew, in spite of the attempts
of Herod to disband it.
God continues to
use Herod, his resources and yes, his temper to stir the people. They did not very much like him but they did
want his goods and services so they sought out peace. As he spoke, they began to be drawn in by his
speech and gave him more credit than he deserved. He must have relished this a bit too much
because suddenly he was dead. God had
used him to the furthest point that he could and then he got rid of him. Because of this, the people saw the mighty
hand of God in action and the church grew even more.
Sometimes God
uses bad people to strengthen our faith.
Somehow, it is through those difficult times in life, when we realize
that we really have no control over our lives, that God draws us closer to
Him. His Word will never die and our
faith as well shall remain strong.
As for Herod’s
death, there is something we can learn from that as well. When our purpose on this earth is finished,
it is finished. God will take us when He
is ready to take us whether we are doing good, doing bad, giving Him the praise
or keeping it for ourselves. The
question for the day is: What will you
be doing when He takes you? Will you be
giving all the Glory to God or relishing it for yourself?
As you seek Him
today, remember, that He is the One that deserves all the glory and praise, He
is your creator and He is the Judge.
Seeking Him with
all my heart,
Sheila
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