Thursday Thought - 4/26/12

“The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.” Acts 23:12.


This verse shows how desperate some of the Jewish leadership was to get rid of Paul. These conspirators were zealous for their faith and were willing to place their lives on the line to keep their faith pure. They felt that Paul was damaging their beliefs, and for that, he was to be killed. They realized that they were losing a grip on Paul and that soon he would no longer be as near at hand. If they were going to get rid of him, they must do it very soon. Paul received word that the conspiracy had been made, and the Roman guard did what was necessary to protect him.

I wonder what went through the mind of those zealous Jews, or what goes through the minds of the terrorists of our day, for that matter. It seems that terrorists who sacrifice their lives when detonating a car bomb do so out of their religious commitment. I would imagine that it takes quite a commitment to come to such a decision. Next, I wondered about my own commitment. How committed was I to my faith? While I have no interest in killing anyone else for any reason, I can appreciate the commitment that it took. They were willing to die for their faith.

Questions to consider: How committed are you to your faith? Have you ever been in a situation where your faith was dramatically on the line? Are there steps that could be taken to be more committed, if that is your desire? Will you make that commitment?

Prayer: Father, while I have no interest in killing anyone, I do desire to have a deeper commitment in following You. Through Your Spirit, strengthen me in my inner man to be willing to die for You. Amen.