To Eat Or Not To Eat

Okay, so today in my quiet time I read chapters 23 and 24 of Acts.

Paul goes before the Sanhedrin, and has a great idea. He divides the Pharisees and the Sadducees by claiming that he's on trial for his belief in the resurrection of the dead. This immediately gets the two groups arguing, and the Pharisees on his side! (just in case you didn't know, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and the Sadducees did not)

Back in the Roman barracks, Jesus appears to Paul, and finally tells Paul the big plan -- "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." (Acts 23:11b)

A group of Jews make an oath that they will not eat or drink until they have killed Paul, but Paul's nephew gets wind of the scheme, warns Paul and the Centurion Claudius Lysias, and Claudius sends Paul to Governor Felix in Caesarea. I always wish that Luke would've said what happened to the forty men who took that oath! Because two years later, Paul is still in the custody of Felix, and, well...hehe...he's not dead!

During his imprisonment, Paul also has a chance to talk to Felix about the Way, and who knows how many others! Felix listens, but apparently he is fearful because of what Paul is teaching, because Felix stole his current wife Drusilla from her first husband. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this fear drives Felix to repentance. And this can be a good application point from these chapters....

Whether we are fearful, joyful, guilty, lonely, whatever it is, God wants it all to draw us towards Him, and never away from Him! And yes, there may be need to be confession and repentance involved.

In Christ,
Ellie

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