Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 16
27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
Commentary:
16:30 what must I do to be saved. The jailer’s question most likely refers to being saved from the judgment of God, which he would have heard about through listening to his prisoners’ prayers and songs.
16:31 For belief in Christ as the key to salvation, cf. 10:43; John 3:16; Rom. 1:16; 10:10–11; etc.
16:33 The jailer washed their wounds, leading Chrysostom (c. 347–407) to comment, “He washed and was washed; he washed them from their stripes, and was himself washed from his sins” (Homilies on Acts 36.2). baptized … he and all his family. The jailer seems to have called forth his whole household to listen to Paul’s message. Christians disagree as to whether the baptism of household members included infants or was confined to older members of the household who were capable of believing.
16:34 Rejoiced translates Greek agalliaō, a word not used by secular Greek writers and which always in the NT signifies a deep spiritual joy (cf. Matt. 5:12; Luke 1:46–47; 10:21; John 8:56; Acts 2:26; 1 Pet. 4:13; Rev. 19:7).
16:31 For belief in Christ as the key to salvation, cf. 10:43; John 3:16; Rom. 1:16; 10:10–11; etc.
16:33 The jailer washed their wounds, leading Chrysostom (c. 347–407) to comment, “He washed and was washed; he washed them from their stripes, and was himself washed from his sins” (Homilies on Acts 36.2). baptized … he and all his family. The jailer seems to have called forth his whole household to listen to Paul’s message. Christians disagree as to whether the baptism of household members included infants or was confined to older members of the household who were capable of believing.
16:34 Rejoiced translates Greek agalliaō, a word not used by secular Greek writers and which always in the NT signifies a deep spiritual joy (cf. Matt. 5:12; Luke 1:46–47; 10:21; John 8:56; Acts 2:26; 1 Pet. 4:13; Rev. 19:7).
Questions:
- The first takeaway from Sunday was that God meets you WHERE you are, but doesn't leave you the WAY you are. So far in these last few verses, God has saved a successful businesswoman who had it all, a slave girl in the darkest of bondages, and an aggressive, angry jailer. God met each of them right where they were and then radically transformed them through the power of the gospel. Look back at your life. How has God done this same miracle in you? Where was it that He found you? How far have you come?
- This concept requires equal measures of grace and truth. We know that Jesus was FULL of both grace and truth. He was so incredibly gracious with people, hanging out with the worst of sinners and even eating with them. But He was also incredibly truthful when it came to calling out their sin. Yes, God accepts us as we are, but that doesn't mean He condones our behaviors. He wants to transform us through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to actively change you from the inside-out? What kinds of transformation has He done in your life recently?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would seek to grow in your relationship with the Lord.
- That you would allow the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside-out.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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