Weekly Devotion from Jesse

Monday, February 22     This Week
Week of:    Feb 14, 2010, Feb 7, 2010, Jan 31, 2010, Jan 24, 2010
Topics: GETTING CLOSER TO GOD, GROWING IN YOUR FAITH, FINDING GOD'S TRUTH, DISCOVERING GOD'S WILL, LEADERSHIP ROLES, TRIALS

IS THIS SACRIFICE WORTH IT?

Passage Of the Day:

When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am not only ready to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done

Acts 21:12-14 (New King James Version)

Insight - Application & Encouragement

Insight:
The prophet Agabus had just made it clear that if Paul went to Jerusalem, he would have many hardships. Paul’s close friends didn’t want him to have to suffer there, so they tried to convince him not to go. But Paul knew that God was leading him to Jerusalem, and he was ready to suffer for Jesus in that city. Stubbornness can be a good quality when someone is determined to be faithful to God. Paul knows deep down that the sacrifice is worth it, and he lives out that conviction.

Application:
How do you know if it is a good sacrifice to make?
Consider these questions as you decide what to do:
1) Does it help change someone’s life? (Acts 21:18-19)
2) Does it clear up a damaging misunderstanding? (Acts 21:26-38)
3) Does it point people to Jesus? (Acts 22:4-8)
4) Is it necessary? (Acts 22:25)

A Quote:
The missionary David Livingstone looked back over his life and had this perspective on his service to God:
“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny? It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life- these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this be only for a moment.”

Questions:
1) What have been some good sacrifices you have made for Jesus?
2) Are some sacrifices not even needed?
3) How do you know when you make a sacrifice that God didn’t want?
4) What is God asking you to sacrifice now?
5) What motivates you to say yes to God?
6) Are there some sacrifices we won’t see any rewards until heaven?

Prayer:
Father God, please help me to discern which sacrifices are good and which ones are from You. I pray for the courage to carry out what You have called me to do. Help me to remember that this life is not all there is and to rally live for what is important eternally. I love you very much Jesus. Thank you for loving me. I pray this in Your name Lord Jesus. Amen.

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