“Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.’” Acts 13:46.
Paul had been directed by God to bring the message of eternal life in Jesus to his fellow Jews first, and then to take it to the Gentiles. It is interesting that Paul states that these Jewish people did not “consider (themselves) worthy of eternal life.” It is as if these people just discarded Paul’s words as unbelievable or unimportant. Either way, they turned away from God’s words of life in Jesus.
As I ponder these words, I am challenged by them. With all the words that are communicated in our world, it is so easy to not take any of them seriously or not take them to heart. The challenge is to develop the ability to hear those special, life-giving words that are spoken, often very quietly. Often when I, at first, hear truth spoken, I tend to receive it in a negative way, almost rejecting it. When I take some time to think about it, I come to see the truth that was spoken and make adjustments accordingly in my life. But this takes a sensitivity that is sometimes beyond me, and one that I desperately need to continue to develop. I want to “consider (myself) worthy of eternal life” and of the things of God. Don’t you?
Questions to consider: What is your first response to hearing truth? How do you hear God speaking to you?
Prayer: Father, help me to hear truth when it is spoken and to have a sensitive ear to hear Your words of life. Amen.
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