Daily Devotional for January 2, 2015
Acts 21
Scripture:
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “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.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
Observation:
Making decisions is a part of life. Some decisions are as simple as where we want to go for dinner, unless we’re married, which adds a new level of pressure to that question! Some decisions carry much heavier consequences. As Spirit-empowered men, we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit leading us through the decision-making process.
In this chapter Paul was faced with a very heavy decision—whether or not to go to Jerusalem. What makes this decision harder is that everyone was advising him not to go. His response is epic and teaches us a very valuable lesson. Being led by the Spirit does not always align our decisions with the popular opinion of the crowd. It’s one thing when the crowd is not biblically based; however, what do we do when people in the crowd are Christ followers and good friends of ours? As Spirit-empowered men, we must be able to hear the voice of the Lord and rely on His Word to confirm our decisions. In these moments, I encourage you to discuss your feelings with a pastor or leader at your church. They can often offer perspective and prayer that can help you along the way. Here is what the Fire Bible says about verse 13:
“21:13 THEN PAUL ANSWERED . . . When considering future plans and ministry, we ought to wait and base our decisions on personal confirmation from God through his Word and prayer, not only on the advice of others.”
Discipleship is a journey. I encourage you to spend plenty of time in prayer and in God’s Word as you make important decisions in your life. Good advice will never be a substitute for the leading of the Spirit.
Application:
- Personal Application: Spend adequate time in prayer and in God’s Word as you seek confirmation for the decisions in your life.
- Family Devotional: Read this chapter to your family. Ask them if anything spoke to them as you read. Talk about their answers and show them that one important aspect of this chapter is that we must hear God’s voice in the important decisions of our life. Pray for them.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for confirmation through His Word and the Holy Spirit for the important decisions in life.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will pause in the big decisions in life and wait for confirmation from the Lord.
Three-Year Reading Plan for Sunday, December 27 – Sunday, January 3:
- Sunday, December 27: Acts 15
- Monday, December 28: Acts 16
- Tuesday, December 29: Acts 17
- Wednesday, December 30: Acts 18
- Thursday, December 31: Acts 19
- Friday, January 1: Acts 20
- Saturday, January 2: Acts 21
- Sunday, January 3: Acts 22
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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