66-DAY JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 44 - Acts (Joy in the Midst of Suffering)
And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ...And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. (Acts 16:23-33)
Paul and Silas were dragged in prison and beaten severely for casting out a demon that possessed a slave girl who enriched her master by fortune-telling. Instead of complaining to God for the persecution they suffered for doing His work, Paul and Silas praised and sang hymns to God! As a result of their witness, the jailer and his family got saved!
Oftentimes, we complain and get depressed whenever things don’t go the way we want it to such as when we are afflicted with sickness, job loss, relationship problems, etc. I know I am guilty of it many times. When I compare even the worst problem I ever had, it does not even come close to the suffering that Paul experienced.
Lord, forgive me for all the times when I complained instead of giving praise to you. Please help me to be thankful always even in times of trials and suffering. Please use me as a witness to others who may be watching me and how I react to life’s pressures. I want my testimony to be like sweet grapes when pressed instead of lemon. In Jesus name, amen.
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