Verse: Acts 18: 1, 5- 9
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads? I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision; “Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent.”
Devotion
Acts 18: 1-17, gives us some interesting information on Paul and his approach to his ministry which can be helpful to us today. Paul goes to Corinth and focuses on telling the Jews in Corinth about Jesus. While many people, both Jews and Gentiles, had received Jesus into their lives before Paul came to Corinth, the Jews in Corinth were resistant. They even became abusive! So Paul left them and moved on to speak to the Gentiles. In verse nine, it appears that Paul was afraid of what could happen to him while ministering to the Gentiles even though people were coming to the Lord. So the Lord told him to keep speaking to them and not to be afraid.
We all encounter resistance in our lives: at work, with friends, in our ministry. And it can be difficult for us to know what to do when we meet difficult times. One way to view problems is that we should continue to work where we are seeing results and if there are no results, no fruit coming from our efforts, it may be time to move on. Paul moved on from ministering to the Jews.
Another way to view problems is that we are always going to encounter resistance and we need to push through to see results. Paul was fearful dealing with the Gentiles. The Lord told him to push through and not fear.
When do we leave and when do we stay? The deciding factor is that we need to be in step with the Lord. We can see in other letters that Paul has written that he is always in prayer asking the Lord where he should be, when he should stay and when he should go. If you are dealing with a difficult situation in your life now and trying to decide what you should do, spend some time praying and asking the Lord what he wants you to do. And if that is not clear, go to a godly person who you know has wisdom and ask them to pray with you.
Problems should bring us to the Lord. The Lord wants to guide you and help you and support you. Plus he has put people in your life to help you. Today is a good time to pray for guidance on the problems in your life. You don’t have to go it alone.
Prayer
Lord, you know our problems and know how we should deal with them. Help us to know your will for us today. Please put people in our lives who are good Christian people who can provide us direction. Thank you for your love and support especially during difficult times.
Author: Brad Dunn
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