ALL – Psalm 149:1-9
ALL – Proverbs 18:8
OT – 2 Kings 18:13-19:37
NT – Acts 21:1-17
Interesting passage for the day: When it was clear that he wouldn’t be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The will of the Lord be done.” – Acts 21:14, The Living Bible
Thought: Sometimes God leads believers into challenging and dangerous situations. No one could have been more certain than Paul that danger lay ahead for him. He had been warned repeatedly that the path to Jerusalem would put him in harm’s way (Acts 21:4, 10-12). His brother and sister disciples were begging him not to go. And yet he pressed on. Was he sinning to continue on despite their warnings? Despite the Holy Spirit’s warning? No, he wasn’t. He was still walking with Christ and His Holy Spirit. And so the believers couldn’t confront him. They couldn’t rebuke him or say anything against Paul’s plans. When it became clear that neither their warnings nor their pleas would change Paul’s mind, they did the only thing left for them to do: they put their trust and hope in God and His will. They could trust God’s plan.
Question: Have you ever watched a fellow believer follow plans that led toward some kind of certain trouble? Did you get angry at them? Or were you able to seek their best and leave them in God’s hands and will?
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2 comments:
I don't think it's sinning to veer from the advise of fellow believers. It's sinning to veer from the commands of God for certain, but making your own decisions apart from the concerns of others is not. I can't recollect knowing anyone, other than a certain pastor who went out into the mission field when no one else wanted him to (ok, breath, Dirk, don't let it bother you), that I may have given counter-advise to. Kidding about the pastor; couldn't be happier for him, but hey, that could be an example.
I agree. But part of the reason that this passage brings up questions is because it clearly says that the warnings were coming from the Holy Spirit. It does not say that the Holy Spirit commanded Paul not to go, just that the Holy Spirit warned Paul what he would face. So I agree with you.
On the other hand, believers frequently turn to God's Word and commands to give one another advice. Sometimes the advice still gets ignored, right? How do we know when we're ignoring a man's advice and ignoring God's commands?
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