Today's Passage - Acts 22:22-30

Acts 22:22-30   The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"  As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this...   The crowded called Paul "not fit to live."  According to law, we've all sinned and offended God, so we're supposed to perish; however, because of salvation of Christ, who died for us on the cross and pardoned all our sins, we can come before God fearlessly and are able to stay alive.  This is a simple yet the most important truth.  Christians may only be filled a sense of mission on earth if we truly understand this truth.  In fact, it's only possible for us to truly understand how to face our own life when we understand how to face death.   In Corinthians 4:11-13, Paul said that "To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world."  This is how Paul described his circumstance; he was indeed not fit to live, but he was only living for the Lord.   One only knows how to live his daily life when he knows how to face death.  If we understand that we are still alive only because of God's mercy, we will not be bothered by all the pressure around us.  If we understand that we don't deserve what we have, we will not be so defensive, but rather we'll happily accept our punishment.  If we know that Christ has taken over our worries and carried our pain, we will be able to live for Him amidst any suffering.  May God give us such attitude and strength!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because in you we have the power to overcome.  You died on the cross and resurrected from death for us, so we ask that you help us to experience the grace of resurrection after death in our daily life.  Let us not be affected by what happens around us, but to only live for you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!    Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow the project on Facebook ! Help us to reach our Phase I Target, and witness how God expands His Kingdom on earth!  Click here to donate online.