Goodbook messages arrive
every Monday, Thursday, and Friday with a Scripture reading and ideas for how
to apply the reading in our lives. We are reading through the book of Acts. For
additional Scripture reading, you can follow the Advanced Track.Reading: Acts 17:6-9
(Advanced Track: Read Luke 4 again and think back to the verses we meditated on last week.)
6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
Application:
At this point in Acts, Paul encountered a group of Jewish leaders in the synagogue who were not favorable toward his message about Jesus. They wanted to drag Paul and his companion Silas before the city officials, but they could not find them. So they grabbed Jason, a man who had let Paul and Silas stay with them.
The case made against Paul and Silas was a clever one. They said that Paul and Silas were causing trouble by saying that there is another king besides Caesar. At the time, their city was under the control of Rome. Local leaders were in charge of keeping peace and order. Anyone who defied Rome or the king was to be taken out. So the Jewish leaders knew they could spark some dissension against Paul and Silas with these words.
On the one hand, they were misconstruing the message. But on the other hand, they were right on. Here’s an example of what I mean. When asked about paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus replied, “Give to Caesar what’s Caesar’s and give to God what’s God’s,” (Matthew 22:21). Jesus was encouraging the people to be good citizen and pay their taxes. But Jesus was also reminding us that everything belongs to God and we should give back to God what God has first given us.
This message can cause us some trouble. We want to be in charge of our life and our stuff. Other people want to be in charge of our life and stuff. But in reality, it all belongs to God. Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). He is the ultimate authority and power in our life. This is not an excuse to be dishonest or negligent in our civic responsibilities, but it does mean we have an even greater responsibility to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to our care. Sometimes this lifestyle will bring us into a clash with the values and customs of our society.
The great thing, however, about having Jesus as our King, is that we will never find another king who will love us, care for us, and sacrifice for us as much as Jesus. He knows what’s best for us, wants what’s best for us, and gives His best for us. We really cause trouble when we don't allow Jesus to be the King and Lord of our life. So...
1) Think for a moment about the different areas of your life – finances, relationships, recreation, work, health, etc. In each of these areas, are you are living like Jesus is King?
2) Ask God how you can faithfully follow, honor, and depend on Him in each of these areas.
Share your comments and ideas about how to apply this...
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