To Whom We Belong

2.18.2011

Acts 25:11 11 "...If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

Paul understood dual citizenship; he also understood triple-citizenship; he was a Jew, a Roman, and a citizen of heaven. Maybe not everyone around him understood his triple citizenship, but Paul did; he knew when and where and how to exercise or restrain his rights for any or all of the three. And Paul remembered what the Spirit whispered into his heart one night about going to Rome (Acts 23.11).

Our challenge in the world is to remember, first and foremost, to Whom we belong; and further, to accept that we are right where God wants us to be (Acts 17.26). If we look at the turmoil in Wisconsin, or the upheaval in New Jersey, we needn’t be upset or bothered – God has placed us in the exact place He desires for us to be to further His Kingdom and preach the Gospel. We are the exact people chosen by the Lord to live in these times.

Tonight, I thought about the men mentioned in Numbers 3 and 4 who were chosen by God to carry the Tent of Meeting (and all its furnishings) from place to place as God commanded. But as I read about Paul, I realized that as they were chosen to serve God in that way then, I am chosen to serve God as an American and a Believer today. They carried the Tent; I’m to follow Jesus Christ and carry His message wherever I go…

Father in Heaven,
Thank You for the example and person of Paul the Apostle who indeed went to Rome and preached the Gospel to Caesar. Wow, what an opportunity. Help me to be faithful to carry the message of Grace wherever I go and to share Your goodness with all You bring into my life – in Christ, amen.