“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Acts 28:30-31
July 28, 2022
The apostle Paul spent vital years of his life as a prisoner. Once again we meet him in the last chapter of Acts in Rome in a place over which he had no control (28:16). Were these wasted years? He had experienced five years of comparative inactivity. How did he understand this? How did he handle it? You may find yourself in a comparable situation. You want to serve Christ. Convalescing from a sickness can shut us down. Ending up in what seems to be a dead-in job with seeming little opportunity to witness for Christ or advance in the work force. Paul was an active man. It was his desire to proclaim Christ. But there he was in manacles, assigned to a guard, house arrest, only free to receive outsiders. God uses all things, evil people, their deeds, difficult circumstances, to fulfill His purposes. God uses our limitations and confinements to advance His purposes in our lives. We should not be surprised or angry at the reversals of life, the inconveniences, the disappointments, the times when we are experiencing painful limitation. Our prisons fit into the invisible hand of God moving us along to serve Him. Prison can be a productive place, as it turned out to be for Paul. Some day you and I may find ourselves in a “prison” experience. It may be a neighborhood, a hospital room, or a retirement home. Whatever or wherever it is, will we be prepared mentally and spiritually for such a time? We must look for the opportunities, not the limitations. H
“The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am.” Sam L. Peoples, Jr.