Living for Jesus in the midst of our difficult lives
No life goes without difficulty. The Apostle Paul knew this well. As a Roman citizen and Pharisee, Paul was well known for persecuting Christians in the first century. But it was God’s sovereign will to appear to Paul on the road to Damascus, where Paul’s life was forever changed. Not only did he leave his whole life behind, he endured more than his share of difficulties for the sake of the gospel. But Paul did not despair. He shows us a great model of living for Jesus in the midst of difficulties.
Here are two things we learn from Paul’s life as recounted in Acts 21-28.
1. Remain faithful when faced with opposition
Paul and his team were on a mission to travel through multiple cities to spread the gospel and encourage believers. Amidst their journey, Paul received a prophecy from Agabus who 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.’” (Acts 21:11)
Upon hearing this, Paul’s team pleaded with him not to go. For in Jerusalem, they knew that persecution was awaiting them. But Paul was sure. He said,
“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.” (Acts 21:13)
Paul knew the difficulties that would arise if they were to journey to Jerusalem. He knew well the opposition and persecution they would face. And yet, he remained faithful in following God’s word for the sake of the gospel. As he mentioned in his letter to the Philippians, “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” There was no question in Paul’s mind whether to embrace the difficulties that would arise from their journey to Jerusalem. Even if it meant death.
We too shouldn’t shy away from difficult people, conversations or situations if we can show or share the gospel and our love for Jesus. Practicing embracing the difficult situations that will surely arise in our lives is a great way to practice faithfulness.
2. Remain faithful even when faced with uncertainty
After Paul and his team were in Jerusalem for seven days, and some Jewish leaders stirred up the crowd to apprehend Paul and have him killed. When Roman commander heard about the commotion, they intervened and had Paul arrested. And yet even when facing arrest, Paul asked one of the Roman commanders with him if he could speak to the crowd where he proceeded to lay down his defense and preach the gospel.
From this point, Paul endures trials, violence, opposition from Pharisees, Saducees and Roman officials, a wild storm, being shipwrecked, and imprisonment. This spanned the course of multiple years, and Paul surely felt uncertain regarding what tomorrow would bring. But not once did God leave or abandon Paul and through it all, Paul took every opportunity to share his testimony.
In our own lives, God is in control. We don’t always know what is going to happen and God never promises us that we will be ‘safe’ in times of uncertainty. There might even be a day where we will face an insurmountable uncertainty, but we can be encouraged by the one certain thing in our lives: Jesus Christ. Continue to set your sights on Him. For like Paul proclaimed, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you that you are the one certain thing in our uncertain lives. Lord, would your Spirit help us to keep our eyes on you to remain faithful when faced with opposition and uncertainty?
We pray this in Jesus’ mighty name,
Amen