God Requires Uncompromising Faithfulness
“After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.'” - Acts 21:10-14
It’s amazing how the writer, Luke, parallels the upcoming experiences of Paul with that of Jesus. After the prophesy of verse 11, it appeared Paul would be arrested and put to death in Jerusalem. Luke knew that death would not come; yet the journey and outlook for Paul was similar to that of Jesus. There would be a Jewish plot, a handing over to Gentiles, a prediction of his suffering and then, as in the Garden of Gethsemane, a strong resolution to do the will of God regardless of the consequences.
What courage! What faithfulness! What is the secret? Faithfulness grows out of our faith. Just as in Adam we all sin; Adam’s way was “my will be done.” With that we lost our way. Jesus’ heart was – “not my will; Your will be done.” This is the resolution that set us free. The key to Paul’s courage is that he had already resolved in his heart (v 14) that, without reservation, God’s will must be done in his life.
What about you? The essence of salvation is surrendering your will to God. It’s exchanging gods—from you to Jehovah God. When we live this, we then begin to realize, by faith, that we can trust His will as we trust His heart.
It’s amazing how the writer, Luke, parallels the upcoming experiences of Paul with that of Jesus. After the prophesy of verse 11, it appeared Paul would be arrested and put to death in Jerusalem. Luke knew that death would not come; yet the journey and outlook for Paul was similar to that of Jesus. There would be a Jewish plot, a handing over to Gentiles, a prediction of his suffering and then, as in the Garden of Gethsemane, a strong resolution to do the will of God regardless of the consequences.
What courage! What faithfulness! What is the secret? Faithfulness grows out of our faith. Just as in Adam we all sin; Adam’s way was “my will be done.” With that we lost our way. Jesus’ heart was – “not my will; Your will be done.” This is the resolution that set us free. The key to Paul’s courage is that he had already resolved in his heart (v 14) that, without reservation, God’s will must be done in his life.
What about you? The essence of salvation is surrendering your will to God. It’s exchanging gods—from you to Jehovah God. When we live this, we then begin to realize, by faith, that we can trust His will as we trust His heart.
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