24/07/2018
DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
Date:2018-07-24
Topic:GOD DIRECTS THE STEPS OF HIS PEOPLE
Bible Reading:Acts 25:23-27
And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth.
And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.
But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.
Topic:GOD DIRECTS THE STEPS OF HIS PEOPLE
In Acts 23:11 the Lord Himself had told Paul in advance that he would eventually go to Rome, the Capital of the empire, in order to declare the gospel there too. In our passage today, we see the manifestation of that divine declaration beginning to unfold. In his trial before Festus, Paul had appealed for his case to be brought before Caesar at Rome (Acts 25:10-11).
Some Bible scholars have said that Paul was too hurried in his appeal, because if he had not already appealed to Caesar, he would probably have been set free by Festus. However, all of these were happening by divine directions (Acts 23:11). Paul was only fulfilling what God had purposed to do.
For every child of God who seeks to walk in step with the Lord, life may be going in a direction we do not understand, but we can be rest assured that the Lord will always give directions to our lives if we depend on Him (Prov. 3;5-6). Let us choose to trust day by day and depend on Him to fulfill His good purpose in our lives as He did in Paul’s.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you that as your child, nothing happens to me by accident. You direct my life as you wish. Give me grace to follow anywhere you lead me. Amen
