Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Acts 24:23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.
FRIENDS
On his way to Rome, Paul spent two years imprisoned in Caesarea. A setback? Perhaps, but during that time the governor, Felix, also saw to it that Paul was given some slack. No doubt there were prisoners who had no one coming to see them, but Felix knew enough about the followers of "the Way" to know that they would not forget Paul, even though it was a seventy-mile walk from Jerusalem to Caesarea.
You see, it is not just in words and offerings, but also in our lives that we have opportunity to show Christ to others. On the night of his betrayal, Jesus said, "All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another" (John 13:35). How does that show that we are His disciples? It simply shows how He treated us.
When a rich young man tried to tell Jesus that he had kept all the commandments, "Jesus looked at him and loved him" (Mark 10:21), and pointed out the truth to him. When the people of Bethany were leading Jesus to the tomb of Lazarus, they observed Him, and concluded, "See how he loved him!" (John 11:36). And when Jesus knew that the time had come for him to be offered up for the sins of the world, "having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1).
This is our Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us. May He grant us many opportunities to show His love to others, through a "governor Felix," at work, at school, or anywhere else.
