DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY December 24
WORD OF WISDOM
Whoever is happy will make others happy.
___
DAILY DEVOTION
Turmoil or Joy?
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where
is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east,
and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2:1-3
The arrival of Jesus was a source of great joy for the shepherds who heard
it announced by the angels. It was a comfort and fulfilled promise to Anna
and Simeon who saw Jesus when His parents brought Him to the Temple for
dedication as required by the law. It was something for Mary to keep and
remember for years to come. It was a promise of hope to wise men who saw His
star and came to find Him. Yet to Herod and many people who lived in
Jerusalem, the glad tidings of Jesus' birth did not produce hope or joy or
peace. Instead it produced turmoil, confusion, and even anger.
The response people have to the good news of the gospel is directly
dependent on the condition of their hearts. Those who rejected Jesus in His
day have many descendants. We should not be surprised that people refuse the
offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. Alexander MacLaren said, "Offer men the
smaller gifts, and they will run over one another in their scramble for
them; but offer them the highest, and they will scarcely hold out a languid
hand to take them."
Our responsibility is not to produce results, but to faithfully proclaim the
good news and leave the responses up to God. It is also our responsibility
to live in such a way that we are good examples of the difference that Jesus
has made in our lives. He told us, "Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 5:16).
We are only responsible for sharing the good news about Jesus, not for the
response of others.
___
DAILY BIBLE READING
Paul
Acts 21:1-40 Easy-to-Read Version
Paul Goes to Jerusalem
1 After we said goodbye to the elders, we sailed away straight to Cos
island. The next day we went to the island of Rhodes, and from there we went
to Patara. 2 There we found a ship that was going to the area of Phoenicia.
We got on the ship and sailed away.
3 We sailed near the island of Cyprus. We could see it on the north side,
but we did not stop. We sailed to the country of Syria. We stopped at Tyre
because the ship needed to unload its cargo there. 4 We found the Lord's
followers there and stayed with them for seven days. They warned Paul not to
go to Jerusalem because of what the Spirit had told them. 5 But when our
time there was up, we returned to the ship to continue our trip. All the
followers, even the women and children, came with us to the seashore. We all
knelt down on the beach, prayed, 6 and said goodbye. Then we got on the
ship, and the followers went home.
7 We continued our trip from Tyre and went to the city of Ptolemais. We
greeted the believers there and stayed with them one day. 8 The next day we
left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. We went into the home of
Philip and stayed with him. He had the work of telling the Good News. He was
one of the seven helpers.[a] 9 He had four unmarried daughters who had the
gift of prophesying.
10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came
from Judea. 11 He came to us and borrowed Paul's belt. He used it to tie his
own hands and feet. He said, "The Holy Spirit tells me, 'This is how the
Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt.[b] Then they will
hand him over to people who don't know God.'"
12 When we heard this, we and the other followers there begged Paul not to
go to Jerusalem. 13 But he said, "Why are you crying and making me feel so
sad? I am willing to be put in jail in Jerusalem. I am even ready to die for
the name of the Lord Jesus!"
14 We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped
begging him and said, "We pray that what the Lord wants will be done."
15 After this, we got ready and left for Jerusalem. 16 Some of the followers
of Jesus from Caesarea went with us. These followers took us to the home of
Mnason, a man from Cyprus, who was one of the first people to be a follower
of Jesus. They took us to his home so that we could stay with him.
Paul Visits James
17 The brothers and sisters in Jerusalem were very happy to see us. 18 The
next day Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were there. 19
After greeting them, Paul told them point by point all that God had used him
to do among the non-Jewish people.
20 When the leaders heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul,
"Brother, you can see that thousands of Jews have become believers, but they
think it is very important to obey the Law of Moses. 21 They have been told
that you teach the Jews who live in non-Jewish regions to stop following the
Law of Moses. They have heard that you tell them not to circumcise their
sons or follow our other customs.
22 "What should we do? The Jewish believers here will learn that you have
come. 23 So we will tell you what to do: Four of our men have made a vow[c]
to God. 24 Take these men with you and share in their cleansing ceremony.[d]
Pay their expenses so that they can shave their heads.[e] This will prove to
everyone that the things they have heard about you are not true. They will
see that you obey the Law of Moses in your own life.
25 "In regard to the non-Jewish believers, we have already sent a letter to
them saying what we think they should do:
'Don't eat food that has been given to idols.
Don't eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still
has the blood in it.
Don't be involved in sexual sin.'"
Paul Is Arrested
26 So Paul took the four men with him. The next day he shared in their
cleansing ceremony. Then he went to the Temple area and announced the time
when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day
an offering would be given for each of the men.
27 When the seven-day period was almost finished, some Jews from Asia saw
Paul in the Temple area. They stirred up everyone into an angry mob. They
grabbed Paul 28 and shouted, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who is
teaching things that are against the Law of Moses, against our people, and
against this Temple of ours. This is what he teaches people everywhere. And
now he has brought some Greeks into the Temple area and has made this holy
place unclean!" 29 (The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus with
Paul in Jerusalem. Trophimus was a man from Ephesus. The Jews thought that
Paul had taken him into the holy area of the Temple.)
30 An angry reaction spread throughout the city, and everyone came running
to the Temple. They grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the holy area, and
the gates were closed immediately. 31 While they were trying to kill Paul,
the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem got word that the whole city
was in a state of riot. 32 Immediately the commander ran to where the crowd
had gathered, taking with him some army officers and soldiers. When the
people saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 The commander went over to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to
tie him up with two chains. Then he asked, "Who is this man? What has he
done wrong?" 34 Some people there were shouting one thing, and others were
shouting something else. Because of all this confusion and shouting, the
commander could not learn the truth about what had happened. So he told the
soldiers to take Paul to the army building. 35-36 The whole crowd was
following them. When the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry Paul.
They did this to protect him, because the people were ready to hurt him. The
people were shouting, "Kill him!"
37 When the soldiers were ready to take Paul into the army building, he
asked the commander, "Can I say something to you?"
The commander said, "Oh, you speak Greek? 38 Then you are not the man I
thought you were. I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble
against the government not long ago and led four thousand terrorists out to
the desert."
39 Paul said, "No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a
citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people."
40 The commander told Paul he could speak. So he stood on the steps and
waved his hand so that the people would be quiet. The people became quiet
and Paul spoke to them in Aramaic.
Footnotes
Acts 21:8 seven helpers Men chosen for a special work. See Acts 6:1-6.
Acts 21:11 belt Paul's belt; so Agabus means that the Jews in Jerusalem will
tie Paul up (arrest him).
Acts 21:23 vow Probably a Nazirite vow, a time of special dedication and
service promised to God. See " Nazirite" in the Word List.
Acts 21:24 cleansing ceremony The special things Jews did to end the
Nazirite vow. Also in verse 26.
Acts 21:24 shave their heads To show that their vow was finished.
