Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
November 22, 2023
Acts of the Apostles 16:25-34
25 Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 All at once, there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!” 29 The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” 32 They spoke the Lord’s word to him and everyone else in his house. 33 Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God.
Good Morning. God rescues the perishing!
30 He led them outside and asked,
“Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?”
This question shows great insight on the part of the jailer. He is a Roman Citizen and a free man who is in charge of locking away and guarding those enemies of Rome. Despite his status in the earthly order, he at once realizes that he is the one in need of being rescued.
This is another example of how Jesus came and turned the world’s earthly values upside down. For those in power, they like things just as they are because they are in control. For the weak and downtrodden, they were likely unable to see the possibilities of any other way of living. When you are living and crawling in the mud, it is hard to imagine becoming clean. Generations of misfortune create a society of the “have-nots.” Eventually, you lose hope and learn to survive within the muck of your existence.
Jesus brought hope to the hopeless and life to those who lived among the dying. In the moment of the jailers’ revelation, he saw the light of a new world order. Without hesitation, he humbled himself before God and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.
The Good News is that all the jailer received that night is available to all: love, hope, joy, peace, and eternal life. Amen
Creator God, Thank you for loving us. Lift us from the mud, and open our eyes to see Your light. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Thought for the day: I will offer the praise that God deserves.
We are washed in the blood of Jesus! Pastor Liz
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