Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 16
9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
Commentary:
16:9 a vision … a man. Some kind of visible image of a man came in such a forceful way, accompanied by such a strong sense of God’s presence, that Paul concluded that God was guiding him. God also spoke to people in visions (Gk. horama) elsewhere, as recorded in both Acts and the rest of Scripture (see 7:31; 9:10; 10:3; 12:9; 18:9; cf. Gen. 15:1; 46:2; Ex. 3:3; Dan. 7:1, 13; Matt. 17:9).
16:10 The occurrence of we is the first time in the narrative that the first person plural occurs in Acts and most likely indicates that at this point Luke, the author of Acts, joined the missionary group as they set out for Macedonia.
16:10 The occurrence of we is the first time in the narrative that the first person plural occurs in Acts and most likely indicates that at this point Luke, the author of Acts, joined the missionary group as they set out for Macedonia.
Questions:
- In verse 9 we learn of Paul's vision. Interestingly, Luke writes that "we" decided to go to Macedonia. This means that Dr. Luke is now traveling with Paul, and God has led them to Macedonia after not allowing them to go into Asia. As we said yesterday, it must have been difficult for Paul to keep getting "no's" from God. But God knew something that Paul didn't. He had a plan that didn't involve Asia so God made him wait. It was a "no for now because I've got something better." What is your level of trust when it comes to God's plan and timing? Is there a situation in your life right now that requires a little more trust on your side of things? Do you really believe that God's plan for you is best?
- The dream led the group to THINK that God PROBABLY wanted them to go to Macedonia. If you were to ask Paul or Luke at the time if they were certain that God was leading in this direction, they would probably say... "Maybe? I THINK so? We're pretty sure?" And yet they STILL stepped out in faith and set out on an extremely long journey in response. This is what our lives of obedience should look like. If we wait until we are 100% certain that God is leading us, we might not ever move. Is there something you've sensed God MAY be leading you to do and you've hesitated? Is there something requiring you to step out in faith?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would seek God's best for your life.
- That you wouldn't wait for certainty to respond in faith.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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