A Brutal Beginning

March 05, 2024
by Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Scriptures: Acts 5:29–32; 8:1–3
Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.

A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. (Acts 8:1–3)
We must not forget that as we study the life of the man they called Paul. We must also brace ourselves for some rather gruesome surprises. The first pen portrait of Paul (whom we first meet as Saul of Tarsus) is both brutal and bloody. If an artist were to render it with brush and oils, not one of us would want it hung framed in our living room. The man looks more like a terrorist than a devout follower of Judaism. To our horror, the blood of the first martyr splattered across Saul's clothes while he stood nodding in agreement, an accomplice to a vicious crime.

Throughout our lives we've naturally adopted a Christianized mental image of the apostle Paul. After all, he's the one who gave us both letters to the Corinthians. He wrote Romans, the Magna Carta of the Christian life. He penned that liberating letter to the Galatians exhorting them and us to live in the freedom God's grace provides. And he wrote the Prison Epistles and the Pastoral Letters so full of wisdom, so rich with relevance. Based on all that, you'd think the man loved the Savior from birth. Not even close.

He hated the name of Jesus. So much so, he became a self-avowed, violent aggressor, persecuting and killing Christians in allegiance to the God of heaven. Shocking though it may seem, we must never forget the pit from which he came. The better we understand the darkness of his past, the more we will understand his deep gratitude for grace.

The first portrait of Paul's life painted in Holy Scripture is not of a little baby being lovingly cradled in his mother's arms. Nor does it depict a Jewish lad leaping and bounding with neighborhood buddies through the narrow streets of Tarsus. The original portrait is not even of a brilliant, young law student sitting faithfully at the feet of Gamaliel. Those images would only mislead us into thinking he enjoyed a storybook past. Instead, we first meet him as simply a "young man named Saul," party to Stephen's brutal murder, standing "in hearty agreement with putting him to death" (Acts 7:58; 8:1).

That's the realistic Saul we need to see in order to truly appreciate the glorious truths of the New Testament letters he wrote. No wonder he later came to be known as the "apostle of grace."

Sacrifice of Praise
MARCH 1, 2024

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 34:1

Recommended Reading: Psalm 34:1-3
In Romans 12:1, the apostle Paul exhorted his readers to present themselves as “a living sacrifice” to God. But someone has observed that living sacrifices keep trying to crawl off the altar! At no time is that more likely to happen than during times of trouble when we are tempted to resent our circumstances.

But David, the psalmist, wrote that God’s praise “shall continually be in my mouth”—words he wrote during a time of trouble. And the writer to the Hebrews combined the ideas of sacrifice and continual praise: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). Why is praise considered a sacrifice, especially in times of trouble? First, sacrifice involves giving up something. Second, the sacrifice of praise in times of trouble means giving up fear, resentment, anger, and self-centeredness (“Why me, Lord?”). To praise God means to trust His plans and provision and protection at all times—“continually.”

If you are in a challenging season of life, purposefully choose to praise God sacrificially for what He is doing in your life.

Praise is the best of all sacrifices and the true evidence of godliness.
John Calvin

February 29

Even Leviticus
You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy.

Today's Scripture & Insight :

Leviticus 13:1–8
The topic was Leviticus, and I had a confession to make. “I skipped a lot of the reading,” I told my Bible study group. “I’m not reading about skin diseases again.”

That’s when my friend Dave spoke up. “I know a guy who believed in Jesus because of that passage,” he said. Dave explained that his friend—a doctor—had been an atheist. He decided that before he completely rejected the Bible, he’d better read it for himself. The section on skin diseases in Leviticus fascinated him. It contained surprising details about contagious and noncontagious sores (13:1–46) and how to treat them (14:8–9). He knew this far surpassed the medical knowledge of that day—yet there it was in Leviticus. There’s no way Moses could have known all this, he thought. The doctor began to consider that Moses really did receive his information from God. Eventually he put his faith in Jesus.

If parts of the Bible bore you, well, I’m with you. But everything it says is there for a reason. Leviticus was written so the Israelites would know how to live for and with God. As we learn more about this relationship between God and His people, we learn about God Himself.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” wrote the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 3:16). Let’s read on. Even Leviticus.

By: Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray
What sections of the Bible bore you or seem irrelevant? How can you learn to recognize their value?

Father, teach me how to appreciate the Bible. Let every part speak to me. Amen.

February 25

Not Luck, but Christ
Bible in a Year :
Numbers 12–14
Mark 5:21–43
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Today's Scripture & Insight :

Colossians 1:15–20
Discover magazine suggests that there are around 700 quintillion (7 followed by 20 zeros) planets in the universe, but only one like Earth. Astrophysicist Erik Zackrisson said that one of the requirements for a planet to sustain life is to orbit in the “Goldilocks” zone, where the temperature is just right, and water can exist. Out of 700 quintillion planets, Earth seems to be one planet where conditions are just right. Zackrisson concluded that Earth somehow had been dealt a “fairly lucky hand.”

Paul assured the Colossian believers that the universe existed, not because of Lady Luck, but because of the work of Jesus. The apostle presents Christ as the creator of the world: “For in him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16). Not only was Jesus the powerful creator of the world, but Paul says that “in him all things hold together” (v. 17)—a world that’s not too hot and not too cold, but one that’s just right for human existence. What Jesus created, He’s sustaining with His perfect wisdom and unceasing power.

As we participate in and enjoy the beauty of creation, let’s choose not to point to the random activity of Lady Luck, but to the purposeful, sovereign, powerful and loving One who possesses “all [God’s] fullness” (v. 19).

By: Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray
What does it mean for you to know that Jesus is in control of the natural world and your personal world? How will you show your dependence on Him today?

Dear Jesus, I thank You for graciously and purposefully creating and sustaining Your creation. Amen.

The Greatest: Power
FEBRUARY 24, 2024

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.
Ephesians 1:19

Recommended Reading: Daniel 2:20-21
We hear the phrase “halls of power” mentioned in political discussions, referring to the domains of government authorities. Within those walls, deals and decisions are made which gives the impression of power—the ability to direct the destinies of people and nations. But true power resides with God not men. As Daniel expressed in Babylon, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and [power] are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:20-21).

When the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians, he prayed God would let them see “the exceeding greatness of His power”—the same power “He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power” (Ephesians 1:19-21). Yes, there are halls of power in this world but none that could have raised Christ from the grave. God’s power is the greatest power of all.

Pray Paul’s prayer for yourself so you may see that God’s power is sufficient for your every need.

Christianity is the power of God in the soul of man.
Robert B. Munger