Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Paul was speaking to the believers about his trip to […]

Psalms 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
A servant has no will of his own. It is his duty […]

Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
Is God first in your life? There are a lot of things on this earth that are desirable, but nothing compares with God. Some people desire long life, others riches, and some fame, but God […]

Psalms 57:1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
You can say that you trust in the Lord, but does your actions demonstrate that you trust the […]

Acts 21:37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

Paul was just rescued from the midst of a riot. The Jews took Paul out of the temple and shut the doors behind him. This probably was not a polite ushering out of the temple since the captain of the band upon his arrival the Jews stopped beating Paul. The captain of the guard did not treat Paul with any special care since he immediately bound Paul with two chains and then demanded who Paul was and what his crime was. Because of the tumult as the Jews attempted to accuse Paul, the guards carried Paul out of the riot.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Paul and Silas left Thessalonica by night to go to Berea. Paul and Silas had been called to be missionaries to the Gentiles and while they were in Thessalonica, the unbelieving Jews tried to persecute them by making many false reports. Because the Jews could not find them, they instead persecuted those who housed Paul and Silas. Even though they were called to the Gentiles and the last time they preached to the Jews they were driven out of town, this did not stop Paul and Silas from going to the synagogue in Berea to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the Jews.

Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Stephen had just finished sharing the truth with the high priest and the counsel. They had given Stephen the time to speak but now that he was done, they openly rejected the message that they had heard. Stephen was fully committed to the cause of Christ and the priests rejected the truth and the messenger.

The sermon of Stephen along with the reaction of the counsel is an excellent example of how there is no gray area. Jesus said HE is the truth. Either the counsel accepted the truth or they rejected the truth. The counsel heard the clear, crisp, clean message of the gospel yet they openly decided to reject the truth. The truth had been presented to set them free, but instead, they chose to live a life bound by their law and sacrifices. They were not willing to admit that they were wrong and that they killed the Messiah.

Stephen�s security was not wrapped up in what others thought of him. Stephen was out to do the will of his Savior. Stephen had filled his heart and mind with the message of truth. Out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth spoke. Stephen knew that if the counsel was going to be saved, they had to hear the message of the gospel and they had to understand the errors of their ways. Stephen was bold enough to share the message to ensure that the counsel fully understood the errors of their way.

The counsel did not want to believe that because the Messiah had come, they were no longer needed to help people get right with God. They were proud of their traditions, they were proud of their importance, and they were proud of their supposed position with God. The counsel rejected the truth because they were unwilling to believe the truth.

You must follow the example of Stephen and fill your life with the truth. As you go about your daily life, God will give you opportunities where you will be allowed to share with others the truth. If you are speaking the truth found in God�s word, people can either accept the truth or they can reject it. You are not in charge of results; all you can do is present the truth as clearly and concisely as you can. The duty is yours to share the truth and results are in the hands of God.

While results are in the hands of God, there is one thing that Stephen did and that you must do if you desire for God to use you. Stephen could not have shared the truth had he not first fully integrated the truth in his life. So must you take the time to fill your mind and your heart with the truth so that when the time comes, the message God desires for you to share has been fully prepared.

God can do the impossible and can use a rock to convict a sinner. Nonetheless, God�s plan is to use you to share HIS truth with others. It is your responsibility to ensure that the message is in your heart so that God can use you and so that you can fulfill your duty to share the truth. When you demonstrate to God that you are filled with virtue, then be prepared for God to open some awesome opportunities where you are able to share. Do not be discouraged when people reject the truth, it is only your duty to share the truth and it is up to the listener to accept or reject the conviction that occurs as a result of the truth.

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

God told Abraham that he was to sacrifice his only son Isaac upon an altar. Abraham and Isaac were traveling to the location of the sacrifice when Isaac asked Abraham where the sacrifice was. Abraham�s reply reveals the faith of Abraham in that he understood that this sacrifice was a test by God. Abraham could have said that Isaac was the sacrifice or he could have stated that God would provide the sacrifice. However, Abraham stated that a lamb would be provided. This reveals that in Abraham�s heart, he was obeying God, but that he fully expected God to stop the sacrifice and provide a lamb instead.

II Kings 4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

The Shunammite woman�s son had died. The woman did not sit around and grieve the death of her son, but instead, saddled an ass and went and found the man of God. The woman did not tell her husband what had happened and did not even tell Elisha�s servant what had happened but instead told both that �it is well�.

The Lord had not told Elisha what had happened that caused the woman to come and fall at his feet. Elisha simply could tell that something was wrong with the woman. Once Elisha understood the problem was with the son that God had given to the woman, he sent his servant to go place Elisha�s staff upon the boys face. Nothing happened. Elisha may have had faith that God desired that the son be raised, but the first method tried by Elisha produced no results.

Elisha came with the Shunammite to her home and went into his room and started to pray. Nothing happened. Elisha then lay upon the child much as Elijah had done when he raised the widow�s child, but again nothing happened except the body of the child grew warm. Elisha walked about, most likely praying to God and still nothing happened. Elisha then went back and stretched himself upon the child again, and finally, Elisha�s faith and the faith of the Shunammite woman was fulfilled in that the child opened his eyes and lived. The Shunammite woman knew it would be well, and at the end of the day, it was.

It did not matter that Elisha was a man of God. It did not matter that Elisha had been at Mount Carmel presumably praying and seeking the Lord. It did not matter that Elisha had the faith that God desired that the boy be raised from the dead. Elisha had to learn a lesson of persistent faith. Just because it was God�s will for the boy to live, it did not mean that the boy would live absent Elisha being persistent in his faith and persistent and interceding before the thrown of God.

You have an obligation to follow God�s will for your life. At times, it will appear that doors are shut regarding your ability to follow God�s will. However, if you know that it is God�s will, then you have a duty to God to follow the example of Elisha and not give up after the first time you pray for the Lord�s will to be done. God desires to be glorified through your life and through your circumstances. God received the glory for the boy being raised from the dead. So too, when you are persistent in the faith, God will be glorified by your testimony that you are able to share with others.

When you are obeying God and following HIS will, no set of circumstances will be impossible. While God may not answer your faith the first day, God is faithful and just to do that which HE has promised HE will do through you. You must not lose hope, you must not grow weary, because in due time, God will be glorified through your life.

What is it that God has told you HE is going to do through you? Have you seen road blocks to the will of God that have discouraged you? Do not give up; do not stop praying. You have an obligation to God to be persistent. Keep praying and seeking HIM.

I Samuel 2:34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.

God sent a man of God to Eli to pronounce judgment on Eli�s house as a result of the sin of Eli�s sons. We do not know the name of the man of God, all we know is that he was sent by God to deliver a message to Eli. This man of God not only had to tell Eli that his sons were going to die, but that another priest would be raised up to take his place. Furthermore, those who were left of the house of Eli would be begging for their bread.

Doing the will of God is not always a pleasant task. Sometimes God will have you do things that you would rather not do. Telling someone that God had no more use for them is not a task many would relish. Nonetheless, this man of God understood that God desired him to give this message to Eli and this man of God obeyed. This man of God did not receive glory and honor for obeying the Lord. God did not record his name in the Bible so that you could admire the faith and boldness of this man of God. God simply lets you know what the message was and that there was a man faithful who was willing to deliver it. It was God who desired the glory for the presentation of this message.

Just because you obey the Lord, it does not mean that trumpets are going to sound in heaven and God is going to tell all the angels that you are an individual that HE is well pleased with. God does not supernaturally start blessing you just because you obey that which HE has told you to do. God told you to do something because HE knows you are capable of doing it, this is your duty, and you do not need honor for simply obeying.

If a parent tells their child to clean up the room, the child should not expect to hear at the dinner table their praises sung because they obeyed and did that which was required of them. The child has a God given responsibility to obey their parents, they should not expect or require that they receive praise for simply obeying.

This man of God was recorded in the scriptures as an individual who obeyed God. We are not told his name, we are not told whose son he was or what tribe he came from. We do not know if he knew Eli or not. All we know is that God gave him a message and he delivered it and the things that he spoke about came to pass.

Just because you obey God, it does not mean that God has to bless you supernaturally. You obey God because you desire to please the ONE who sent HIS only Son to die and save you from your sins. You obey God because HE is your creator. God sends the rain upon the just and the unjust. Just because you obey, it does not mean that you receive any special treatment from HIM. Do not have expectations of what God must do for you because you are HIS child. Remember, God is trying to use your life to draw many to HIM so HE may do certain things so that others can see your faith and trust in HIM regardless of the circumstances in your life.

Trust in the Lord and obey HIM. Do not obey HIM because you expect something in return. Eternity in heaven should be a sufficient reward to living your life according to HIS purpose. God may have you do things that do not always make sense. Nonetheless, HE is God, and by faith, you have an obligation to obey HIM and do HIS will.

Judges 16:17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother�s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall be like any other man.

Delilah had been offered a lot of money if she could figure out the source of Samson�s faith and make him weak. Delilah on three other occasions had asked Samson�s the source of his strength and Samson told Delilah a lie. Finally, Delilah wore Samson down and he told her the source of his strength. Delilah knew that he had told her the source and she informed the Philistines to bring their money for she was going to deliver Samson to them. Delilah shaved Samson�s hair and then watched the Philistines take him away. The Philistines put out his eyes and put him in prison.

Samson made the mistake of telling the wrong person something God had shared with him. Samson told Delilah who had no desire to help and support Samson in his duty to God the source of his ability to do God�s work. Delilah used the inside information not to help Samson but to bring him down. Samson did not have to tell Delilah his secret, but he did because he loved his relationship with Delilah more then he desired to serve God.

Samson had already been betrayed once when he told his Philistine wife the answer to the riddle and she told her fellow countrymen. He should have been more careful when telling Delilah the source of his strength. He had a duty to serve God, and he should have realized that Delilah did not really care about Samson destroying the Philistines and delivering Israel. Since Delilah was not interested in a similar calling, Samson had no right sharing special truths that God had given him to someone who was not going to help him fulfill God�s purpose for his life.

Samson had a calling from God and if he was looking for a wife she should have had a similar calling so as to support him. Samson�s calling was to deliver Israel from the Philistines, by looking for love among the Philistine women; Samson was showing his lack of faith by putting himself in a compromising situation. Samson did compromise by telling things that God had shared with him to Delilah.

Not ever deep spiritual truth or word from the Lord needs to be shared with everyone. Jesus commanded you that you should not cast your pearls before swine. Just because God has shared something exciting and new with you, it does not mean that you can rush out and tell everyone what the Lord is doing. Instead, you must be judicious in whom you share deep spiritual truths with. You have an obligation to God to determine if the person you are sharing with has a similar heart for the Lord and whether they will rejoice with you and encourage you to do what the Lord has said. If you do cast great spiritual pearls before swine, then Satan may be able to bring you down as he brought Samson down.

You have an obligation to God to be careful about what you share. You do not have a duty to share everything with everyone. The world does not have a right to know everything about you. By faith you will be slow to answer when you start to share the deeper direction of God. You can share the things that God has done for you, but you must be careful when you start sharing the Lord�s direction and guidance to others. First discover whether the person you are sharing with desires to encourage or destroy you.

Judges 7:20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

Scripture does not tell us that God gave Gideon his battle strategy. God told Gideon to go fight, but HE did not tell him how to fight. God reassured Gideon that it was HIS will to fight, but as for a military plan, it does not appear that God directed specifically. God�s direction was general, and it was up to Gideon to find a way to obey.

Gideon chose a plan in which he divided his 300 men into 3 groups of 100. Gideon�s plan used a pitcher, a lamp, a trumpet, and a shout. Throughout scripture, one will find that God is the potter and we are the clay. Gideon�s first step of breaking the pitcher symbolizes our duty to God to be broken so that you can be put back on the potter�s wheel so that HE can mold you in the way that HE desires.

The second step of allowing the light to shine is akin to Jesus telling you that you are to let your light shine on a hill. Until you are willing to put your life back into the hands of God and be broken for HIM, you are not ready to shine. Jesus is the light and we are not to hide HIM, but instead you are to be broken for HIM so that through you the world will see HIM.

Acts 28:30-31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

The book of Acts ends with Paul being a prisoner for two-years. During this period, Paul had great freedom in that rather then sharing a room at the local prison where one soldier watches many prisoners; Paul was permitted to rent his own house where his companions could stay with him. Paul was given his own solider that watched over him in his own house. Because Paul had his own rented house, he was able to minister unto the Christians at Rome since they were able to come unto him while he was in prison.

Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Paul was a prisoner in Rome. Within three days after he arrived in Rome, he called for the leaders of the Jews and asked them to come speak with him. It was then arranged for the Jews to come back on an appointed day to hear the teaching of Paul. They had heard of the sect taught by Paul but it was their belief that it was not well spoken of. Nonetheless, they were willing to give Paul an audience.

Paul may have been a prisoner and was constrained in where he could go but this did not stop him from sending messengers out to bring audiences to him. Paul may be in Rome, but he still desired to preach the gospel to the Jews. He was not going to let the fact that he was a prisoner stop him from preaching the gospel.

Acts 21:31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Paul had finally made it to Jerusalem. However, before a week could expire, someone saw Paul and they made a false accusation based upon facts that they assumed. This false accusation resulted in a huge tumult by which Paul was about to be killed. However, God�s plans for the life of Paul could not be overturned just because of the jealousy of a few Jews. God raised up a gentile captain to come and rescue Paul prior to death.

Paul may have been prepared to die in Jerusalem, but God still had a purpose for Paul�s life. Some would say that Paul had a reckless abandonment in going to Jerusalem knowing he was going to suffer. However, Paul did not act recklessly while he was in Jerusalem but in fact acted circumspectly according to the wishes of the elders of the church. Paul was not preaching and was not trying to suffer for Christ�s sake. God was not ready for Paul to die as the Lord still had work for Paul to do. God needed Paul to be in prison and to later go to Rome, so he used this trip in Jerusalem to bring up the circumstances that resulted in Paul becoming a prisoner.

Acts 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

After Paul left Ephesus Apollos arrived. Apollos was an eloquent man who was mighty in scriptures. Scripture tells us he was instructed in the way of the Lord and he was diligent in teaching the things of the Lord. However, Apollos doctrine was shallow in that he only knew the doctrine of John.

Aquila and Priscilla saw this diligent man who had a heart for the things of the Lord and as iron sharpenth iron, they worked with him to assist him in understanding the scriptures more fully. Aquila and Priscilla were not quick to go preach in front of all the people in the synagogue, but they were willing to disciple individuals. They gave instruction to a wise man, and he became wiser: they taught a just man, and he increased in learning.

Acts 10:7-8 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; and when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

Cornelius was a devout man that feared God. Cornelius gave alms to the people and he always prayed to God. However, Cornelius lacked something and God desired to give it to Cornelius. In order to obtain that which Cornelius lacked, God sent an angel to Cornelius and told him to go fetch Peter. Cornelius listened to the angel and he obeyed.

Cornelius was not a believer yet he demonstrated his faith by his willingness to listen to an angel through a vision. Cornelius did not waste any time in sending his servants to find Peter. Cornelius did not allow doubt to question the validity of his vision. If Cornelius had waited, he may have started second guessing what was said to him.

Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

The church in Jerusalem was under great persecution. Christians were being thrown into prison. Many decided that they would leave their home and find and find a new place to live. However, they did not become bitter over having to leave Jerusalem but instead, they demonstrated their faith by preaching the word of God in their new hometown.

God used this time of persecution in the church to drive his church out into the world and preach the gospel. From the outside, this appears to be a real sad time for the church but in God�s eye, it was designed so that the gospel would spread around the world.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

What is our purpose here on this earth? Our purpose on this earth is to bring glory to our Maker. We bring glory to our Maker when we live our lives in such a manner that the world through us sees an Almighty God. It is our duty to live our lives so that HE who made us is pleased with us. However, as we study this verse, we learn something very important about pleasing our Maker. We cannot please our Maker if we do not have faith.

Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

The disciples had just been instructed by Jesus to forgive those who did them wrong and sought forgiveness, even if it was seven times in one day. As long as they came and repented, we are to forgive. The disciples did not think they were spiritually ready to be able to constantly forgive one who offended them so many times in one day and as such, they asked Jesus to increase their faith so that way they could obey Jesus� commandment.

Jesus responded to their request for more faith with two object lessons. In the first object lesson, Jesus stated that how even a little faith can do great things. In the very next verse, Jesus tells them if they had the faith the size of a mustard seed, they could say to a sycamine tree to be plucked out by the roots and be planted in the see.