Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God

I don’t know about you, but I often pray that the Lord would give me strength and humility on a daily basis. Those are attributes of His character that I just always want to display. This is because it is often hard for me to feel like I display strength or humility well. I love Acts 14 so much because you can so clearly see these two qualities demonstrated beautifully in Paul. As Paul and Barnabas are traveling from town to town, they encounter many different reactions from the people they are teaching and preaching to. They made their way to Iconium because they were driven out of the last town. They had to flee Iconium because they got wind of plans by both Gentile and Jewish leaders to stone them. When they made it to Lystra, it seemed as though they had a much warmer welcome and began teaching the people. Paul even healed a crippled man whose faith made him well. All seemed well and was probably a nice break from all the running and stress of trying not to get killed. However, this crowd of Gentiles did more than just give Paul their attention. They gave him their praise and worship. They viewed him and Barnabas as gods who came down to earth.

It would have been easy for their flesh to soak up every ounce of the crowd’s praise. Their pride could have taken them off the path to which God had called them. But their deep devotion to humbling themselves for the Lord moved them to rebuke those who were praising them. Scripture even says that they tore their garments as an act of deep anguish.

Man, what would our lives look like if we humbled ourselves to the Lord the way these apostles did? What blows me away even more is that the climax of this chapter, in my personal opinion, happens in verses 19-23. Jews came from Antioch and Iconium because of what Paul was teaching and stoned him. You would think that Paul’s story would be over, but when the disciples gathered around his body he got up and continued on to the next destination. I pray that I have half as much strength as this guy did. In the face of persecution and adversity, Paul’s eyes were fixed on the Lord. The mission was greater than any discomfort he could ever face. His strength to get up came solely from God. I believe that God wants to pour His humility and strength into you today for whatever it is that you are facing.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Where do you need the Lord’s strength in your life right now?
• Is there any pride you need to release to the Lord today?

Family Devo: Acts 14

By: Cody Smith

Today, we're jumping into the book of Acts chapter 14 to learn about Jesus’ love for us and desire for us to be saved. This chapter tells the story of Paul and Barnabas traveling to different cities, sharing the good news about Jesus, and planting churches. Let's explore what we can learn from this chapter.

In Acts 14, we see that Paul and Barnabas went to many different cities, and they faced both acceptance and rejection. Some people welcomed them and believed in Jesus, while others opposed them and even tried to harm them. But no matter what happened, Paul and Barnabas kept sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. They knew that everyone needed to hear the message of salvation.

The core message of Acts 14 is that Jesus loves everyone and wants everyone to know Him and be saved. Paul and Barnabas traveled to different cities because they believed that every person deserves to hear the message of salvation. They didn't give up, even when they faced opposition, because they knew that the message of Jesus was too important to keep to themselves.

 So, what can we do with this message? We can share the good news of Jesus with others, just like Paul and Barnabas did. We can tell our friends and family about Jesus and invite them to church. We can also pray for those who don't know Jesus, asking God to help them understand His love for them.

• Prayer: Father God, please help us remember that You love everyone, and He wants us to share that love with others. Help us be like Paul and Barnabas, spreading your message of salvation wherever we go. Show us how to share Jesus' love with the world! Amen.