By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
GEMS FOR MEDITATION AND PRAYER
THEME FOR THE WEEK: FAITHFUL EVEN IN SUFFERING: PART II
SUNDAY
THEME: PAUL’S PRINCIPLE IN LIFE: “THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST”
SCRIPTURE: Acts 21:13-14
“[13]Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” [14]So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
REFLECTIONS
Suffering for a good cause is part of the Christian life and journey. Unless one is ready to suffer for Christ, one is not prepared to serve God. By default, serving God requires costly sacrifices, including losing everything else and life for Christ Jesus. A walk with Jesus and service to Him requires taking up and bearing a cross. The journey to heaven proceeds on a narrow, thorny, meandering, and tortuous road. It is a road less traveled by anyone who seeks ease and comfort. However, the choice to walk with Christ is a decision and the only way to eternal life.
Like any of the prophets and all humanity, Paul was called by God in a specific time frame for a unique service. He was called to preach to the Gentiles. Clear in his job description were: “[15]But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. [16]For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” A life of ease in the service of God is not a given promise. Love does not look at convenience or succumb to inconveniences but the confidence to accomplish. Paul endured suffering as His Lord and Master did.
It was unsurprising when Paul stood on his grounds to go to Jerusalem even though death loomed. Acts 21:13-14 records, “[13]Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” [14]So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” Paul could be described simply as a man with an enduring faith and unwavering commitment to the will of God. For the sake of his Master, he was willing to die.
Even in suffering, he had learned from his Master the principle of “to do the will of He who sent me.” Philippians 3:7-11 – [7]But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. [8]Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ [9]and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, . . . but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; [10]that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, [11]if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Heaven was his goal. To be with Christ was his burning desire. To render praise and unqualified appreciation to Christ was his hope and determination. What about you?
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 321 – “My Jesus, I Love Thee”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for a new week; thank God for the opportunity to walk with Him this week; pray to trust Him in all situations;
– Pray for Christians who have dedicated their lives to the service of God and the salvation of others; pray for those persecuted for their faith in Christ;
– Pray for young missionaries, missionary families, evangelists, pastors, and gospel musicians;
– Pray for your family and loved ones to desire Christ and serve Him; pray for the nation’s peace and healing for the sick.
