April 11, 2024

Devotional for April 11, 2024

Scripture: Acts 9:21-22 – “Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”

What it means

Here’s a little sneak-peak of our sermon topic for Sunday.  We’ll be looking at the apostle Paul and the fact that he was a mighty man of God in many different ways.  He had a pretty inauspicious start – actually opposing the early church, or those belonging to “The Way”, but his world was rocked pretty good on the Damascus Road, and it all changed in the blink of an eye for him.  He possessed great power and influence – being a Roman citizen, he had the world at his disposal, but as we’ll discuss on Sunday, his power was pointing in the wrong direction.  Once he met The Lord Jesus, he was still a powerful influence on the world, but his focus changed.  His priorities changed.  What was important to him previously no longer had the same importance for him…but what now contained importance for him provided even more strength and power and influence than he had before.  He “increased all the more in strength”.  He was a force to be reckoned with.

What it means to me

Again, we’ll look more specifically at this on Sunday, but this message is intended for each one of you as you look at what’s important in your life and try to channel your focus and energy in a manner that brings honor and glory to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We have an aging membership at Peck’s, I get it…and the temptation can be to think “well, I’m too old to do anything productive anymore, so might as well just hang it up and ride off into the sunset.”  Again, I get it…but I beg to differ.  You see, God can accomplish mighty things through all of us, whether we’re in the early part of our lives or in the twilight…doesn’t matter.  You may not be as active in certain ministries that perhaps you were in earlier years, but you can change the script, so to speak.  You might be able to cook a dish for a meal for someone who is hungry, you might be able to help financially with a missionary halfway around the world.  Or…and listen closely to this…you can pray.  You can pray for your family, your family, your church, your nation…and if you run out of ideas, you can always pray for your pastor (hint-hint ).

Love you guys, see you on Sunday!

In Christ,

Brian