Day 2: Guilty Before Proven Innocent
Everybody who has ever lived has some semblance of what is right and what is wrong. For the most part, this is good. It’s good to fight for what’s true, honorable, and godly. But there can be a downside to this as well. Sometimes we may fight for something we believe to be right, only to later discover we were fighting the wrong battle. As Mark Twain once wrote, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Yesterday, we learned that prior to believing in Jesus, Paul was OK with Stephen being falsely accused and stoned to death. He was sure that Stephen deserved his punishment. But as he later discovered, what he was absolutely certain about, just wasn’t so.
In today’s reading, we’ll see that after Paul came to trust in Jesus, he was mistreated in a similar manner to Stephen. Paul was falsely accused of breaking some Laws and was imprisoned without a fair trial. As a Roman citizen, Paul wasn’t to be beaten or imprisoned without a trial. In Roman culture, the officials responsible could have been removed from office for their failure to properly oversee due process.
As you read today, consider this: What aspects of Paul’s story resonate with your own life experience?
READING:
What aspects of Paul’s story resonate with your own life experience? (Consider his family upbringing, his culture, those he interacted with, etc.)
What kinds of ambitions or hopes could Paul have had through his life experiences? In what ways does this help you to identify with the story of Paul?
F260 READING: (A Scripture Reading Plan for Busy Believers)
Read: 1 Samuel 3 & 8
Reflect: What did you H.E.A.R. from God today? HEAR Bible Study Method
Heavenly Father, I confess there have been times when I have known something with absolute certainty, only to later discover that it just wasn’t so. Today, I commit myself to meditating on the one thing I can know for certain – Your love for me. I’m grateful that the Christian life isn’t just about how much love I have for You, but is instead about all the love You have for me. Today, may I remember that I am not just worthy of being loved, but that I am deeply and wholly loved by You. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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