March 3, 2011 - Acts 17:2

“As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” Acts 17:2.
Whenever Paul came into a town or city for the first time, he made it his habit to first go to the local synagogue to meet with the Jews of that city. These were Paul’s people, the people of his own heritage, and, even though he didn’t specifically know these people, he knew that God desired for him to first go to the Jews to present the good news concerning Jesus. Paul didn’t just do his duty and then disappear, he invested time. Paul wasn’t concerned about whether or not he was rejected, he continued showing up to the synagogue. He had a deep burden to share Jesus with all that he met, especially his own people, the Jews.
There have been times when I have just done my duty in sharing Jesus, and, when rejected, I gave up and went my way. I tended to give up on people pretty easily, and I got fairly negative about being rejected. It was not a pleasant experience for me, so I didn’t put myself in that position very often, if at all. Paul seemed to relish going before people that he’d never met so that he could tell them about Jesus. He didn’t care what people thought of him. Paul’s only concern was what God thought of him. And he stuck with it.
Questions to consider: Are you more concerned with what those around you think of you or what God thinks of you? How willing are you to take the risk of reaching out with the good news concerning Jesus to people that you don’t know? What would it take for you to step out of your comfort zone to talk about Jesus with someone you don’t know?
Prayer: Father, help me to be more concerned with what You think of me, so that I would be free to share Jesus without worrying about what people think of me. Give me the strength and humility to do Your will and not my own. Amen.