A Few Bible Thoughts For Your Day

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Date: Apr 25 2017 1:33 PM

Hey everybody,

I hope your week is off to a fine start. We had a great service Sunday and are ready for an enthusiastic Wednesday Bible study tomorrow at 7. Please make plans to attend.

I had knee surgery on Friday the 14th, so that has slowed my work down a bit. I hope to be getting back into the regular flow before too long. At least I can get these posts back on track now. So if you were curious why you were no longer receiving them, now you know. For today, here are a few thoughts.

Everyone Needs Encouragement

I think that most Bible students would agree that Paul was one of the strongest Christians who ever lived. When he learned the truth about Jesus as the Son of God, he "obeyed from the heart." He never looked back to his old way of life. He became a new creature in Christ. He gave up everything for the sake of Jesus.

We might think it strange that one so strong as he would ever get discouraged, but we know he did. All of us do at times. Even Jesus was discouraged on occasions by the hardness of heart and unfaithfulness of some of His disciples. And that is still true today. He is hurt by our unfaithfulness, too.

In the closing verses of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke included these touching words, "The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged" (Acts 28:15).

It had been a long and unbelievably hard journey. Paul left Caesarea in late October, and it was now early spring when he landed on Roman soil. He had suffered two weeks in a devastating storm at sea, had been shipwrecked on the shore of Malta, and finally, after winter was over, they went on their way to Rome.

He had never been to Rome, the largest city in the world. He had always wanted to go there and meet with the church there. He had planned to do so three years before all these happenings. He was a prisoner of the Roman government because his own countrymen had falsely accused him. He did not know if any of the Christians even knew that he was on his way for imprisonment and trial.

The Christians at Rome had heard that Paul was on his way to Rome. In fact, some of them traveled forty-two miles (sixty seven kilometers) to the Forum of Appius and thirty-three miles (fifty-three kilometers) to Three Taverns. This was an unexpected surprise for Paul. No wonder, "At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged." He was given new courage by their presence. He thanked God for them. They had the same faith, the same love for the church and the Lord Jesus Christ. There is always strength when we are with those of the "like precious faith." In fact, Luke used this same word "good courage" in his account of Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem. He wrote of the "great uproar" when Paul was tried before the Sanhedrin. "The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be tom to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks" (Acts 23: 10). And then verse eleven tells us, "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.'"

The Lord is our greatest source of encouragement and strength. Paul later wrote to the Philippian Christians, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4: 13). It is true for all Christians. Jesus is always there; He knows when and how and how much help we need. The strength He gives is divine. The earth cannot provide this kind of strength. It is not found in pills, alcohol, human philosophies, sex, or physical fulfillment. This kind of heavenly encouragement is for the soul, the mind, the heart. It brings lasting substance to our lives. The Greek word literally means to "be confident, to be courageous." Life was meant to be lived that way.

The Christian is most encouraged by the Lord and fellow Christians. The world does not have much to offer in this area. All it has to say is only temporal, and the soul needs more than that.

Look for encouragement from the Lord and His people.

Have a great week!

Mitch Robison

Enon Church of Christ

1366 Enon Rd.

Webb, AL 36376

[email protected]

enon.churchofChrist.info

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