SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/30/2018
10:14 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: “The Courage of Conviction Motivates Others”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
21:15-16
Message of the
verses: “15 After these days we got
ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from
Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long
standing with whom we were to lodge.”
In our last SD we spoke of the many things that we will
learn from the book of Acts would not have been there if not for the courage of
Paul going forth with his conviction, and as I wrote some of those things that
would not happen if he had refused to go to Jerusalem may thoughts were that I
had never looked at in this way before.
Paul did not run from the compelling danger that lied before him, but
ran into the danger because he knew that the Lord’s plans for him was to go
into the danger that lied before him in Jerusalem. Paul’s courage inspired others to join him as
we see in these two verses, his courage was infective, inspiring others to go
along.
In John MacArthur’s commentary he writes about a day, an
awful day that happened during the Civil war.
On a September day in 1862 there were 6,000 men killed in one of the bloodiest
days of American military history. If
you also combine the wounded you come up with the number 17,000 men. James M. McPherson from his book entitled “Battle
Cry of Freedom” wrote “The casualties at Antietam numbered four times the total
suffered by American soldiers at the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944. More than twice as many Americans lost their
lives in one day at Sharpsburg [Antietam] as fell in combat in the War of 1812,
the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American wars combined.
MacArthur goes on to write more about this battle, but I
think that you will get the point that I am trying to make, and that is that
like the nameless soldiers, Paul had the courage not only to face the enemy
himself but he also inspired others to do likewise.
The courage of conviction does motivate others as great
leaders have inspired many people to go out into battles and fight the Lord’s
battles. We see this happened throughout
the OT history portion with leaders like Moses, Joshua, and others like King
David who inspired his armies to go into battle in order to conquer the lands
that God had promised to Israel.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is my desire
to stand up and fight the battles of the Lord if and when he calls me to do so.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Babylon” (2 Kings 25:1-4).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who was Martha’s sister?”
Answer in our next SD. 7/30/2018 10:54 AM
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