Loading... Acts 25:10 - I STAND AT CAESAR’S JUDGMENT SEAT
Acts 25:10 Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.
Paul had just been asked by Festus if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to answer for himself in Jerusalem. Paul had been a prisoner for two years. Paul could have been nice and accepted the invitation of Festus to be judged in Jerusalem, but Paul understood that God desired him in Rome, not Jerusalem.
What if God had not told Paul his focus was now to be to preach in Rome? Before Paul had gone to Jerusalem, many of the believers were trying to persuade Paul not to go to Jerusalem because he might be beaten. Paul told them that he was willing to be beaten and if necessary killed in Jerusalem. Paul had only preached a couple of messages in Jerusalem and as such, most likely, if God had not shown him otherwise, Paul would have accepted this invitation and gone back to Jerusalem.
God did not want Paul in Jerusalem, God desired Paul to go to Rome. God still had much work for Paul to complete. Had Paul gone to Jerusalem, there were a group of men ready to kill him on the road to Jerusalem. Paul’s natural desires to go to Jerusalem could have resulted in his ministry being shorten by a few years and we would not have had all of the Pauline epistles that we have.
God had shown Paul what was to happen next so that he would make the right decisions. God desired Paul to focus on the next location rather than focus on the past. Paul understood what God desired him to do and as such, Paul made decisions accordingly. Rather than accept the invitation to go to Jerusalem, Paul instead appealed to Caesar which would result in him going to Rome where God desired him to preach.
The day Elijah was taken up into heaven, Elisha was constantly persuaded to leave Elijah’s side. However, Elisha would not leave Elijah and as a result he saw Elijah taken up into heaven. Elisha received a double portion of the power of Elijah because he remained focus upon what was God’s perfect will for his life.
There are going to be occasions when people try to persuade you to do something that is contrary to God’s will for your life. Satan is very cleaver in how he brings these trials into our lives and quite often, the persuasion will come from someone that we trust or respect. Elisha was persuaded to wait by Elijah.
It is our duty to be patient and wait for God to bring to pass the fulfillment of HIS direction to our life. Do not let man persuade you from doing anything but the perfect will of God. If God has shown you what you are to do, then only God can direct you on a new path. If God has given you a direction in which you are to go, do not be surprised when someone comes along the way and tries to direct you a different direction.
Paul was not persuaded to go a different direction because of the smooth words of a ruler so also we should not be persuaded to go a different direction then the one God has directed us. Be patient and remain focused upon what God has shown you and one day, God will bring HIS perfect will to pass in your life. Times of waiting are never fun, but the time you wait should be used by you to draw you closer to God and to fulfilling HIS perfect will for your life today.