SUNDAY March 10, 2024
Misconceptions
But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
Acts 28:5-6
Paul shook off the snake into the fire. The natives knew he had been bitten by one of the most poisonous snakes on the Island. Surely, Paul would begin to swell up and drop dead at any moment. Miraculously, he did not die. Why? God had His perfect will for Paul’s life. The Apostle knew God had allowed this to happen and did not question Him by saying, “Lord, did you bring me to this island to die?” His full confidence was in the Lord. Again, he already knew God wanted him to go to Rome to stand before Caesar!
If you go on a missionary trip to the heart of the Colombian or Amazon jungle, and suddenly a viper jumps out and bites you, call on the name of the Lord! He can heal you! As you are in His perfect will, I believe God can divinely heal you. You will not die. Perhaps the Lord will use a doctor in the area, and he will give you medicine. If no doctors are around to give you a life-saving antidote, the best course of action is always to pray and ask the Lord for His perfect will. Now if you die, that was God’s perfect will for your life; you will go to heaven––so do not worry about it.
The natives continued to stare at Paul for a long time, yet nothing happened to him. So they quickly changed their minds about him. First he was a murderer, and now he was a god! They changed their minds in a moment! People are so fickle. They can change their minds back and forth so quickly, depending on their emotions. So many people are led astray by their misconceptions.
Given the popular widespread misconceptions of Christianity, it is time we returned to the basics. If we don’t, thousands of people who believe they are Christians will discover in the day of judgment that they were misled.
~Erwin W. Lutzer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
